We add the calculation of the inhaled dose to our analyses

One of the main aims of the BiSC project is to assess the impact of pollution, especially on babies. The study and measurement of pollution in different locations is of vital importance to understand the impact it has on fetal development and the health of children in education.

However, simply quantifying the concentration of pollutants in the air may not be sufficient to assess actual exposure and its potential effects. That is why it is also essential to consider other factors such as the mothers’ physical activity during pregnancy, age, weight or their location in order to be able to more accurately model the inhaled dose of the different pollutants present in every moment

The inclusion of physical activity is particularly relevant, as exercise and physical effort directly influence the amount of air inhaled. People who perform more intense physical activities inhale more air compared to those who remain inactive. This implies that the inhaled dose can vary significantly between study participants, even if they are exposed to the same concentration of pollutants.

In addition, having knowledge of the location is essential to understand the specific sources of pollution to which the participants are exposed during their pregnancy, thus allowing a specific estimate to be made for each type of microenvironment: at home, on the street or in the workplace, mainly. Pollutant concentrations can vary by geographic area, traffic patterns, proximity to industries, or other sources of pollution.

All this information that we have been able to collect throughout the project has allowed us to calculate the inhaled dose during pregnancy. This will allow us to develop a more complete analysis of our study. It is expected that in the coming weeks we will have preliminary results with this new addition.