THE ESSENTIAL
- Analyzing miscarriage rates in the city of Baoji in China between 2017 and 2019, researchers observed that these events are more common in winter and spring, when pollution is at its peak.
- They suspect that fine particles, associated with inflammation and tissue damage, increase the risk of miscarriage.
- This research highlights the importance of reducing pollution to protect the health of pregnant women and raises awareness of the environmental impact on public health.
A study led by researchers at Yan’an Medical University, China, reveals a worrying correlation between air pollution and spontaneous miscarriages. By analyzing miscarriage rates and pollution levels in Baoji City over a two-year period, scientists found that pregnant women exposed to heavy pollution were more likely to lose their babies.
Why does pollution affect pregnancies?
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reportsfocused on the town of Baoji, an area where pollution is particularly high, notably due to the massive use of coal for heating during the winter. By observing pollution rates and cases of miscarriages between 2017 and 2019, researchers identified 770 pregnancies, 154 of which ended in miscarriage. Even more alarming, the majority of these miscarriages were recorded during winter and spring, periods when pollution reaches its peak, as opposed to summer and fall, according to a press release.
Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear, several studies suggest that certain pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and fine particles, cause inflammation and tissue damage. The town of Baoji, where levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are high, thus becomes a natural laboratory for studying the health impacts of pollution. Researchers hypothesize that fine particles suspended in the air could play a major role in increasing the risk of miscarriage, due to their ability to penetrate deep into the body and cause inflammation.
Better protect vulnerable populations
This research highlights an urgent public health problem: the impact of air pollution on pregnancies and population health. For researchers, measures are necessary to limit pollution levels, in particular by reducing the use of coal and implementing cleaner energy alternatives.
This is far from being the first study to warn of the risk of air pollution on vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women or babies. In 2018, researchers demonstrated that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy could lead to epigenetic modifications in the placenta, and thus put the health of the future child at risk. More recently, another study showed that this pollution had an impact on the methylation of placental DNA and could affect the development of the child (birth weight and height, head circumference, duration of pregnancy, etc.).
