December 04, 2021
By Cristine Hall
Low-income Hispanic/Latina women who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution during mid-pregnancy are at greater risk of depression one year postpartum, according to a USC MADRES Center for Environmental Health Disparities study.
The research, published recently in the journal Environmental Health, followed 180 women from early pregnancy to one year after giving birth, tracking their exposure to nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone and particulate matter—such as emissions from vehicles, factories and power plants—using ambient monitoring.