Polluted air can harm our brains and have a negative impact on other organs. This can have an impact on the brain development of unborn babies. According to a new study, using Air Purifiers at home can reduce the negative effects of air pollution on a child’s brain development.
Unborn children’s mind may fail to develop normally due to Air Pollution, says study
High levels of fine particulate matter in the air can harm the brain development of unborn children (PM2.5). Those exposed to PM 2.5 during pregnancy are more likely to have shorter gestations and smaller foetuses. The infant’s brain then fails to develop normally, potentially resulting in long-term impairments.
Unsurprisingly, more than 90% of the world’s population breathes air with high PM2.5 concentrations, far exceeding WHO recommendations.
In 2014, the researchers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, recruited 540 pregnant women for the Ulaanbaatar Gestation and Air Pollution Research (UGAAR) project. The women were non-smokers who had never used home air filtration systems and were under 18 weeks pregnant. Additionally, they were split into two groups: intervention and control.
Only the intervention group received one or two HEPA filter air cleaners. They used them on a regular basis throughout their pregnancies. They removed air purifiers from the house after the baby was born.
Researchers evaluated the children four years after their birth
The researchers evaluated the children when they were four years old. They calculated their full-scale intelligence quotient using the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (FSIQ).
They discovered that the average FSIQ of children born to mothers who used air cleaners was 2.8 points higher than that of the control group. The children whose mothers had access to HEPA air filters had significantly higher verbal comprehension scores. Thus, the negative effect of air pollution might be reduced with the use of air purifier.
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