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Babies Near Polluted Areas Likely To Die, New Study Shows

September 27, 2019

The team compared the death rate for babies in the worst fifth of polluted areas with those in the best fifth.

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Infants living near areas with polluted air are more likely to die as babies than children living in cleaner areas, a new research has shown.

The research, which was carried out in Cardiff University, Wales, tested the reaction of eight million children to different pollutants.

Dr Sarah Kotecha, a scientist at Cardiff University, said it was up to governments to make the right policies to protect the mothers.

“You live where you live and you can’t avoid pollution day in day out.

“If you can find out some of the mechanisms, you can look at potential interventions,” she said.

According to the Guardian, the team compared the death rate for babies in the worst fifth of polluted areas with those in the best fifth. 

When factors like maternal age, deprivation level and birth weight were isolated, the study noted that ‘babies aged up to one year had a greater chance of dying living in areas with the worst air pollution compared with areas with the cleanest air’, the report found.

Topics
Environment