Maternal Exposure to Environmental Pollutants May Alter Fetal Immune System
This study examined short-term associations of air pollution exposures with lymphocyte immunophenotypes in cord blood about nearly 1,400 deliveries in two regions of the Czech Republic.
Researchers measured daily concentrations of PM2.5 and 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the air, and various measures of the immune system in the cord blood at the time of birth. Ambient concentrations of PAHs and PM2.5 during the last two weeks of gestation were associated with decreases in the percentages of T-lymphocytes in cord blood. Although the biological relevance of this finding is not clear, it is significant that the fetal immune system may be altered by maternal exposure to air pollution.
Herz-Picciotto I, Herr CEW, Yap P-S, Dostal M, Shumway RH, Ashwood P, Lipsett M, Joad JP, Sram, RJ. Air Pollution and Lymphocyte Phenotype Proportions in Cord Blood. Environ Health Perspec 2005; 110:1391-1398.
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