A new study has linked exposure to pollution in utero and changes in cancer-causing genes in fetuses:
A new study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention suggests that harmful toxins from car exhaust pipes and factories can damage the genes of fetuses in the womb, increasing a child’s risk of cancer later in life.
The study, carried out by Columbia University researchers in New York City, examined 60 low-income pregnant women and the amount of pollutants they were exposed to in their third trimester. According to Dr. Frederica P. Perera, director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, in a New York Times interview, following childbirth, the researchers found about 50 percent more genetic abnormalities in babies whose mothers had been exposed to higher levels of pollution.
“We already knew that air pollutants significantly reduced fetal growth, but this is the first time we’ve seen evidence that they can change chromosomes in utero,” she told the paper.
Maybe this is a point for which we can cooperate with pro-lifers: Save the Environment and Save an Unborn Baby.
Or not.
In related news, government officials are fighting against air pollution controls. As it is, many businesses weigh the costs of installing air pollution control methods and find that it’s cheaper for them to go overseas. Dirty air here, there, and everywhere.