http://madison.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/19488
The following article has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] The sender writes: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr. ------------------------------------------------------------ Fetal Sensitivity to Pollutants From Vehicles, Power Plants and Other Combustion Sources ------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday, 20 October 2004 by Michael T. Neuman Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Summary: A recent study by New York's Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health concludes that babies in the womb are more sensitive than their mothers to pollutants from motor vehicle tailpipes, power plant smokestacks, second-hand smoke and other combustion sources, underscoring the importance of reducing those pollution sources in the environment. Published in the scientific journal "Environmental Health Perspectives" (V. 110, 10), the study examined the effect of prenatal exposure to combustion residual pollutants called "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons" (PAHs). PAHs, such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are widespread air contaminants released by transportation vehicles, power generation, and other combustion sources. The study found that, despite the protection provided the fetus by the placenta during fetal development, DNA damage in newborns (from PAHs) was still as high as the level of DNA damage in the mothers. "These results raise serious concern", said lead study author Dr. Frederica Perera. "What gets across the placenta is not detoxified, and the damage to the DNA is not repaired in the fetus as it is in the mother," she said. The DNA damage from increased exposure to PAHs increases the likelihood that babies will experience developmental problems and increased cancer risk, said Dr. Perera. Other studies have demonstrated that the placenta normally reduces the fetal dose of PAHs to an estimated one-tenth of the dose of the mother. However in this study, the research team found an equal amount of PAH-induced DNR damage in the mothers and the newborns. This led them to believe that the fetus is 10 times more vulnerable as adults are to the carcinogenic effects of the same pollutants. The study involved 265 pairs of mothers and newborns in New York City and was conducted by New York's Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Center. The mothers were non-smoking African American or Latina women living in New York's Washington Heights, Central Harlem and South Bronx districts. Researchers examined blood samples from the mothers and from the umbilical cords of the newborns for two key biomarkers: carcinogen-DNA adducts (associated with increased cancer risk), and cotinine (a measure of tobacco smoke exposure – in this case, secondhand tobacco smoke, since the mothers were all nonsmokers). Dr. Perera, who also serves as the Director of the Children's Environmental Health Center, said the study underscores the importance of reducing levels of air pollution in cities. This study comes on the heels of numerous other health studies showing links between increased fuel burning in motorized vehicles, power plants and other fossil fuel combustion sources, and increased risk of serious health effects. Other studies show links between fossil fuel burning in motor vehicles, airplanes and coal-fired power plants, and increasing incidences of asthma and cancer, as well as increased occurrances of heart attack and stroke in populations residing in close proximity to such combustion sources. The full name of the study is: "Biomarkers in maternal and Newborn Blood Indicate Heightened Fetal Susceptibility to Procarcinogenic DNR Damage" http://www.ccceh.org/news-events/CCCEH%20PRESS%20RELEASE%20(Jun23).htm See also: HIGHWAY HEALTH HAZARDS: http://www.sierraclub.org/hhh/HHHFinalReport6-28-04.pdf IMPACTS OF CO2 AND CLIMATE CHANGE ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE INNER CITY: http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/green.pdf CONSERVATION SOLUTION STRATEGIES: http://living-room.org/sustain/altdrive.htm http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paleontology_and_Climate_Articles/message/486 Madison IMC: http://madison.indymedia.org/ _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
