American research has shown that women who live close to highways, compared with women who live farther from highways where the air is cleaner, have an increased risk of fertility problems.
The study is based on data from 36,000 women in the period from 1993 to 2003 and data from the air quality around their homes. This showed that women living within 199 meters from busy highways, have an increased risk of fertility problems. This relationship increases as the particulate matter concentration increases.
Women who live near busy highways are 5% more likely to have primary infertility than women who live further away. This percentage falls within the margin that this can be a coincidence. However, these women are 21% more likely to have secondary infertility, which is statistically significant.
The researcher Gupta metions at Reuters.com that “Couples suffering from infertility need to exercise caution especially if they are residing in areas with high ambient particulate matter,” Gupta indicates “Relocating to areas with low contamination of particulate matter is an alternative to prevent adverse impact on fertility.”.
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centter and the University of Cincinnati OH have found that exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter (above 15 ug/m3) in the third trimester increases the risk of premature birth by 19%. Premature birth is referred to as a birth before 37 weeks in the pregnancy, rather than 40 weeks.
It is therefore important to minimize the exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter. Moving is a drastic option. Another alternative is to clean the air before it spreads throughout the house. People spend 90% of their time indoors. By purifying the air indoors, you reduce the exposure to particulate matter significantly. ASPRA air cleaners remove 99% of the particulate matter from the air and can be used as stand-alone air purifiers (for example ASPRA Poco) or air cleaning in a ventilation duct behind the heat recovery system (for example ASPRA S Induct). Please contact us to discuss the possibilities.
