It seems locating schools and residential areas close to highways and other pollution sources is something the government should stop doing. Given earlier research at USC on the pollution permanently affecting lung development and the other study indicating negative impact on IQ's of children exposed to pollution. Now this study regarding bronchitis.

Chronic exposure to air pollution, the study found, increases a baby's chance of developing bronchiolitis — a lung infection that is the most common cause of hospitalizations in the first year of life.

At the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in New York, researchers have been putting air-monitoring backpacks on pregnant women and following their babies through adolescence. The results of that study suggest that urban air pollution is affecting the expression of genes in fetuses, setting kids up to develop asthma later in life.

There are some things parents can do to protect their babies, Karr said. As much as possible, she recommends choosing homes, schools and day cares that aren't on major roads with lots of traffic.

The MSNBC article...
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