Study Looks for Effects of Fetal Exposure to Air Pollution

By measuring various pollutants in the immediate vicinity of pregnant women and tracking brain development of their children, researchers in Barcelona aim to untangle any influence the former has on the latter.

Written byJef Akst

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ABOVE: Researchers are investigating the effects of pollution in cities such as Barcelona (pictured) on the health of pregnant people and their children.
© ISTOCK.COM, IMV

For two days in June 2020 and another two days that October, environmental epidemiologist Ioar Rivas wore a special backpack whenever she left her home. As she rode her motorbike to the lab, or picked out fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, an air pump on one shoulder strap hummed quietly, while a tube on the other passively sampled the environment. “People look at you like you are carrying something weird [that is] making some noises,” she recalls of the experience. “They don’t understand what is going on.”

Rivas was (and still is) taking part in a research study aiming to measure how much air pollution pregnant people are exposed to, and to identify associations between those pollutant levels and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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