User:Packarec3037/Motor vehicle emissions and pregnancy

Epidemiology of motor vehicle emissions and pregnancy

Lead
The health of a mother directly affects the fetus during pregnancy. High levels of vehicle emissions where pregnant women reside can have adverse health effects on fetuses.

In the United States about 10% of the population, 33 million people, live within 900 meters of a high traffic road High-traffic roads are commonly identified as being host to more than 50,000 vehicles per day, which is a source of toxic vehicle pollutants. (citation found and added)

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Population characteristics

Areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air, which is an output of vehicular air-pollution, are shown to have negative effects on fetuses. Effects of the exposure include reduced fetal growth, premature birth, and respiratory conditions. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrogen dioxide on fetuses in the southern United States as well as Valencia Spain. In the United States, babies that were born prematurely were 94% more likely to have been exposed to high levels of pollution than those that were not premature. In Spain, fetuses that were small for gestational age in terms of weight were 37% more likely to have been exposed to high levels of air pollution than those that were not small for gestational age in terms of weight.

Low-birth weight (LBW), and preterm delivery

Exposure to air pollution not only affects newborns in early stages of their development, it can also have lifelong consequences for children exposed from the time of conception to when they reach two years of age. Air pollution has been found to cause lower birth weights, insufficient development of the immune system and organs, and premature births. These birth effects have been linked to respiratory issues that can persist into one’s long-term health.

Asthma

Excessive school absences ultimately affect the child's learning ability, and decrease their time to socialize with kids their age. It is not uncommon for children who suffer from asthma to oftentimes repeat grades due to failure to keep up academically. If students are not repeating grades they are highly likely to dropout prior to graduation over their non-affected peers 

Respiratory Problems
Studies have found that children who are exposed to higher levels of car pollutants report higher respiratory problems including wheezing, ear and throat infections and have a higher incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma. Bronchiolitis is also found in greater amounts when the child's home is around high amounts of traffic.

Epidemiology

Motor vehicle emissions are not solely a United States issue. Of the 10 cities with the most traffic, there are no cities from the United States listed. The United States also has regulations regarding what and how many emissions vehicles are allowed to emit that are on the road. This is done by the USEPA and they are currently working on new regulations. Of the countries that have vehicle emission standards, the European Union and Japan have the most strict regulations. These standards have been added because it is shown that regulating fuel economy is effective in controlling oil demands for the country as well as reducing their greenhouse emissions.

Respiratory and allergic disorders among children in Japan were studied after the implementation of new regulations were put in place and it showed the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory disorders decreased. There have also been more recent studies showing that the incidence of asthma cases worldwide is increasing in children. Much of this increase is due to the increase in NO2 which is a gas that is emitted from motor vehicles among other sources.

Across the United States, vehicle emissions make up a large portion of air pollution, especially in urban areas. An epidemiological study conducted by the National Institute of Health compared pregnancy loss to local vehicle emissions, specifically Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂). The study used data from Boston, Massachusetts and Tel Aviv, Israel, and both regions observed associations between pregnancy loss and NO₂, largely in the second trimester of pregnancies. This study further increases scientific confidence that vehicle emissions can be detrimental to pregnant individuals and fetuses and that these findings are consistent in different geographic locations and among different populations.