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Exposure to Stress and Air Pollution from Bushfires during Pregnancy: Could Epigenetic Changes Explain Effects on the Offspring?
- Source :
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 7465, p 7465 (2021), International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Due to climate change, bushfires are becoming a more frequent and more severe phenomenon which contributes to poor health effects associated with air pollution. In pregnancy, environmental exposures can have lifelong consequences for the fetus, but little is known about these consequences in the context of bushfire smoke exposure. In this review we summarise the current knowledge in this area, and propose a potential mechanism linking bushfire smoke exposure in utero to poor perinatal and respiratory outcomes in the offspring. Bushfire smoke exposure is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes including reduced birth weight and an increased risk of prematurity. Some publications have outlined the adverse health effects on young children, particularly in relation to emergency department presentations and hospital admissions for respiratory problems, but there are no studies in children who were exposed to bushfire smoke in utero. Prenatal stress is likely to occur as a result of catastrophic bushfire events, and stress is known to be associated with poor perinatal and respiratory outcomes. Changes to DNA methylation are potential epigenetic mechanisms linking both smoke particulate exposure and prenatal stress to poor childhood respiratory health outcomes. More research is needed in large pregnancy cohorts exposed to bushfire events to explore this further, and to design appropriate mitigation interventions, in this area of global public health importance.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
Offspring
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Psychological intervention
Context (language use)
Review
PM2.5
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
wildfire
Fires
Epigenesis, Genetic
03 medical and health sciences
Pregnancy
Environmental health
Air Pollution
Smoke
medicine
Humans
Child
030304 developmental biology
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Asthma
0303 health sciences
Air Pollutants
DNA methylation
epigenetics
business.industry
Public health
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Environmental Exposure
asthma
medicine.disease
Prenatal stress
Child, Preschool
Medicine
Female
business
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 7465, p 7465 (2021), International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....bc9e032fb583bb441762e7319199be69
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.17863/cam.76696