As famous for its traffic jams as it is for Hollywood star power, the Los Angeles, Calif. area has another dirty little secret: Air pollution is sickening pregnant women who live near roadways, more than doubling their risk of a premature birth, according to a new study.
Scientists have known for years that smog plays havoc with residents' health. Asthma, blood pressure and a host of cardiovascular diseases all get worse in people exposed to high levels of air pollution.
Now Jun Wu of the University of California, Irvine and a team of researchers have shown that the effects are amplified for pregnant women living within three kilometers (1.9 miles) of a major roadway.
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