New Delhi, October 17 (IANS). In today’s time, air pollution has become a serious threat to our health. Especially when it comes to pregnant women and their unborn children, this risk increases even more. Recently, researchers in Spain have conducted an important research, in which they have shown that if the mother comes in contact with excessive air polluted particles during pregnancy, it can have a negative impact on the brain development of the newborn child.
This research was done jointly by scientists from Hospital del Mar, Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases. They especially looked at very small pollution particles present in the air, called PM 2.5. These particles are so small that they are about thirty times thinner than a human hair. These particles contain toxic substances released from burning things, as well as elements essential for the brain like iron, copper and zinc.
The results, published in the journal Environment International, showed that newborns whose mothers were exposed to high levels of PM 2.5 pollution during pregnancy had slower brain processes called myelination. Myelination is an essential biological process. Without this process, brain signals cannot be exchanged smoothly.
During the study, the research team measured pollution levels around pregnant women and sampled 132 newborns after birth. NRI scan of these children was done in the first month of their birth, so that the condition of myelination in their brain could be detected. With the help of MRI scan, scientists are able to understand the changes happening inside the brain. From this process it became clear that the myelination of the brain of children exposed to more pollution was slowing down.
Dr. Jesus Pujol, head of the MRI unit of the Radiology Department of Hospital del Mar, said, “Both the speed of myelination is too fast or too slow is not good for children. It is necessary to have the right pace of brain development so that the child’s ability to think, understand and learn develops properly. But it has not yet been decided how harmful the slow myelination seen in this study will be for the child’s future. For this more It is important to do research.”
He further said, “This study shows that air pollution during pregnancy has a direct impact on the process of brain maturation of newborn children. Through this research, an attempt will be made to understand what should be the correct pace of brain development and how the mother and her placenta can protect the child from pollution.
Researchers have also suggested that it remains to be understood how different pollutants present in the air affect brain development. Every pollutant is different, so it is important that we understand their different effects and know which elements are more dangerous.
–IANS
PK/AS