1 of 2 | A young Chinese girl poses for a photograph with a wooden cut-out of an Olympic mascot in Beijing, July 25, 2008. A reduction in Beijing pollution during the Olympics is credited with raising baby weights in 2008. File photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI |
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BEIJING, April 29 (UPI) -- Babies born in China during and just after the 2008 Summer Olympics weighed more than usual. New research suggests the uptick in baby weights corresponded with a reduction in air pollution.
Spending billions on infrastructure projects wasn't all the Chinese government did in preparation for their moment in the sun. To put on a fresh new face for the world, officials in Beijing cracked down on industrial polluters in the months leading up to the Summer Games. They also strengthened vehicle emissions standards and let fewer new cars on the road. The result was a noticeable reduction in smog and other air pollutants.
Now, new research by scientists at the University of Rochester proves those efforts paid off in an unusual way. The average weight of newborns went up. In other words, babies born during the brief period of diminished pollution were healthier.
After looking at the health records of more than 83,672 babies born in Beijing around the time of the Olympics, researchers found that infants birthed during the Games were an average of 23 grams heavier than those born during 2007 and 2009 -- the years before and after the festivities.
"These findings not only illustrate one of the many significant health consequences of pollution, but also demonstrate that this phenomenon can be reversed," David Rich, Rochester health science professor and lead study author, explained in a press release.
"Even a short term reduction in pollution in a community has a very large public health impact," Rich added. "Some of these babies will have fewer complications or diseases later in life. So any time we can improve or increase birth weight we're protecting not only the babies when they are born, but also in later life."
The last trimester is vital to fetal growth. Researchers say their study shows pollution likely interferes with the growing process, but their study didn't attempt to understand exactly how or why this happens. Previous research showed reductions in Beijing pollution were linked to improvement in a variety of heart health factors.
The latest research was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
