An article that appeared on the BBC website this morning looks at a possible link between traffic pollution and genetic changes to the baby while in utero that could lead to asthma.
“A study of umbilical cord blood from 56 children found “reprogramming” of a gene associated with exposure to compounds in traffic fumes. The gene was associated with asthma symptoms at age five, the researchers reported in the PLoS ONE journal. It is the first time pollution has been shown to influence genes, experts said. In the study, researchers looked at a gene called ACSL3, which is expressed in the lung.” (Source: BBC)
I live in a metropolitan area that has one of the worst pollution levels in the country. In the winter months, we deal with our own pollution plus the pollution that drifts in from Los Angeles (about 400 miles away). However, I live on the farthest edge of the metropolitan in a somewhat rural area. The sky is blue where we live but 20 miles away in the city, the sky is distorted by the pollution.
I don’t commute to work and didn’t during my daughter’s pregnancy but I did drive into the metro a few times a week. Although in my daughter’s case, I don’t think that the pollution lead to it (she had RSV at age 3 months) but this is an interesting study, nonetheless.
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