Air pollution and pregnancy • How does air pollution in Haifa affect fetuses and newborns?

A comprehensive and first-of-its-kind study: How does exposure to environmental pollutants affect pregnancy and childbirth?

A new study on behalf of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, carried out by Rambam Medical Center, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh) and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, examined the exposure of pregnant women to environmental pollutants in the Haifa Bay area and the consequences on the newborns.

In the study it was found that levels of some of the metals and some of the BTEX components (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene compounds) in the urine are significantly higher in the samples of mothers from the Haifa Bay compared to mothers from the center of the country. At the same time, the levels measured in the study in Haifa Bay are infinitely lower than levels reported in polluted areas of the world, and lower than the levels defined as harmful by the World Health Organization

Summary of the study:

The effect of environmental pollution on pregnant women and newborns

As part of research in the field of health and environment in Haifa Bay, promoted by the Office of the Chief Scientist in the Ministry of Environmental Protection in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, a new study is published that measures the exposure of pregnant women to environmental pollutants in Haifa Bay and examines its possible effect on newborns.

The research is led by Prof. Ido Sholt from the Rambam Medical Center, Prof. Amalia Levy from Ben Gurion University and Prof. Mati Berkovich from the Shamir Medical Center (Asaf Harofeh), along with doctoral student Tal Michael and other researchers.

The aim of the study is to check if pregnant women are exposed to heavy metals and volatile organic pollutants and the relationship between maternal exposure and unwanted pregnancy outcomes. The exposure was tested by measuring the pollutants in urine samples and the comparison was made between 826 pairs of mothers and newborns, about half from Haifa and half from the center of the country, between the years 2016 and 2019.

negative consequences for the fetuses

In recent years, significant evidence has been published suggesting that pregnant women and their developing fetuses constitute a risk group for harm from environmental toxins and pollutants, which cause negative consequences in fetuses. The studies found connections between the level of exposure to pollutants and intrauterine changes in the fetuses of mothers who were exposed to pollutants. However, the available information on the level of exposure was limited and sometimes controversial.

The most comprehensive study to date

So far, no comprehensive study has been carried out in Haifa Bay that examined the relationship between exposure to environmental pollutants during pregnancy and unwanted outcomes in the mothers' newborns.

More metals in mothers from Haifa Bay

In the study, it was found that the levels of some of the metals and some of the BTEX components (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene compounds) in the urine are significantly higher in the samples of mothers from the Haifa Bay compared to mothers from the center of the country. At the same time, the levels measured in the study in Haifa Bay are infinitely lower than levels reported in polluted areas of the world, and lower than the levels defined as harmful by the World Health Organization.

Accordingly, no significant differences were found in the head circumferences between the groups. The study found that boys born in the Haifa Bay area had a higher birth weight than boys in the control group, but it seems that this figure has no clinical significance since it is only a few tens of grams.