Recent research has found that unborn babies who have been exposed to air pollution when the mother was pregnant with them, can have language and speech delays compared to those who have had less exposure to air pollution.

Kings College London found a link between exposure to nitrogen dioxide during the first trimester and challenges with speech at around 18 months old. If a baby was born premature, the exposure caused more severe delays in their speech but also impaired motor skills too.

Air pollution is greater in cities like London suggesting that those with more exposure are the children born in cities compared to the countryside. Many families from low working class and socio-economic societies are forced to live in cheaper areas near busy roads where air pollution is greater. This is giving working class families more air pollution exposure and widening the gap between the poor and the rich where those with less air pollution exposure were less likely to suffer from speech delays.

There are calls for change where pollution is no longer an environmental issue, but an issue of justice as the toxicity is hindering the development of our children causing inequalities from the very beginnings of life.

https://www.theguardian.com/en...

1. What did the study find about babies exposed to air pollution in pregnancy?

2. Which pollutants and data were used in the research?

3. Were any groups of babies affected more than others?