My 18-year-old graduated from high school last month. Among her many attributes, she’s the reason I clued into environmental health issues. When I was pregnant with her, I took my role as her first home so seriously that I wound up writing a book about the myriad ways pregnant people can essentially defensively drive with their bodies, The Complete Organic Pregnancy.
Today, when I see pregnant people on the street or, say, at the grocery store, I want to waltz up to them and share my knowledge or offer to answer any questions they may have about air pollution and pregnancy. But I don’t. Clearly, that would be weird. I remember what it was like to have random people ask if they could touch my belly when I was pregnant—no thanks! Pregnant people are considered a vulnerable population. I think this vulnerability includes being bombarded with unsolicited advice from unfiltered strangers.
Thankfully, I have a more, um, normal outlet to connect with pregnant people about environmental issues that could impact their health. I get to write resources as part of my job here at Moms. Lately, I’ve written more than a few about pregnancy. This makes sense; pregnancy is a unique moment of rapid development and is frequently studied. So there are always new studies to wade through and share, plus updates to make to our existing pregnancy resources. I love that I get to remain connected to pregnant people this way.
The impacts are all too real. Exposure to a whole host of pollutants during pregnancy through breathing and ingestion has been associated with impaired fetal growth, thyroid dysfunction, neurological disorders, respiratory disease, and an increased risk of a wide variety of adverse birth outcomes. Climate change has drastically increased the incidence of heat waves, wildfires, and superstorms, all of which also increase air pollution. Exposure to air pollutants such as ozone, especially during certain periods of pregnancy, has also been linked to preterm birth, which can have lasting health consequences. Getting useful information to pregnant mothers is critical.
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Here are three of our most recently updated pregnancy resources. If you’re pregnant or have a pregnant person in your life, I hope you will give them a read. (Also, if you do have questions, I’d be honored to answer them.) You may also want to read our fact sheet from earlier this year about pollutants that cross the placental barrier. And stay tuned—we’re currently working on resources about Latina maternal health as well as Black maternal health.
How Air Pollution Harms Pregnant People
This fact sheet is a primer on how pollutants in the air harm growing babies with ideas for safeguarding them during pregnancy. Air pollution threatens the health of everyone, but it poses outsize risks for pregnant people and babies. Children who are exposed to air pollution in the womb are at risk of low birth weight, early birth, improper immune system development, lower cognitive intelligence, and gestational diabetes as well as long-term health impacts, including asthma and high blood pressure. Read How Air Pollution Harms Pregnant People.
How Mercury Poisoning Works
Pregnant people are advised to minimize eating large fish contaminated with mercury because it’s a potent neurotoxin. An estimated 75,000 newborns in the United States yearly may have increased risk of learning disabilities associated with in-utero exposure to mercury. We recently updated this resource, one of our earliest educational offerings as an organization. We’ve been working on the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), first implemented by EPA in 2012 and updated in 2024, for over a decade. Learn how mercury got into fish in the first place and what you can do to safeguard your pregnancy from mercury poisoning. Read How Mercury Poisoning Works.
How Oil and Gas Operations Impact Your Baby’s Health
People who live near oil and gas operations are at an increased risk of exposure to a wide variety of air pollutants. This resource is incredibly useful for understanding what the air pollutants associated with oil and gas operations are, as well as how they impact health, and specifically historically marginalized communities. It’s important information, even if you don’t live near an oil or gas operation as pollution from either can travel long distances, impacting populations far from the source. Read How Oil and Gas Operations Impact Your Baby’s Health.
Babies are unfortunately exposed to pollution before they take their first breath, and I hope these resources help parents and caregivers learn about potential harm as well as ways to safeguard the babies they are incubating. Ultimately, it’s not up to individual families to attempt to protect babies from being exposed to pollution before they are even born. Join Moms Clean Air Force to advocate for stronger protections against air pollution and toxic chemicals.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress