Particles assocaited with traffic air pollution have been found in the placenta of pregnant women

The finding of air pollution particles in fetuses indicates that babies are directly exposed in the uterus to black carbon emitted by fossil fuel engines. This study is the first to show that the particles that the mother breathes can cross the placental barrier. The discovery is of the utmost importance, since the fetus is very vulnerable and the damages it may suffer have lasting consequences.

In the BiSC project, the placenta is one of the biological samples that are being collected, in order to study, the presence of these particles in an organ as essential for the development of the fetus as is the placenta, among others.

In this link, we find the full news of the find!

Image obtained from the article published in “The Guardian”.

The text was written by Mikel Esnaola, the data manager of the BiSC project.