孕妇胎盘中发现黑碳颗粒！空气污染物可穿越孕妇肺部直抵胎盘

Air pollution particles found on foetal side of placentas
胎盘靠胎儿一侧发现空气污染颗粒

素材来源：《卫报》 翻译：世界播

Air pollution particles have been found on the foetal side of placentas, indicating that unborn babies are directly exposed to the black carbon produced by motor traffic and fuel burning.

在胎盘靠胎儿一侧发现了空气污染颗粒，这表明未出生的婴儿直接暴露在了汽车交通和燃料燃烧产生的黑碳颗粒中。

The research is the first study to show the placental barrier can be penetrated by particles breathed in by the mother. It found thousands of the tiny particles per cubic millimetre of tissue in every placenta analysed.

这项研究首次表明，母体吸入的微粒可以穿透胎盘屏障。研究人员分析了每个胎盘组织，发现每立方毫米组织中有数千个微小颗粒。

The link between exposure to dirty air and increased miscarriages, premature births and low birth weights is well established. The research suggests the particles themselves may be the cause, not solely the inflammatory response the pollution produces in mothers.

暴露在污浊的空气中与流产、早产和出生时过低体重之间的联系已得到充分证实。研究表明，这些颗粒本身可能就是原因所在，而不仅仅是污染在母亲体内产生的炎症反应。

Prof Tim Nawrot at Hasselt University in Belgium, who led the study, said: “This is the most vulnerable period of life. All the organ systems are in development. For the protection of future generations, we have to reduce exposure.” He said governments had the responsibility of cutting air pollution but that people should avoid busy roads when possible.

这项研究的负责人、比利时哈瑟尔特大学的蒂姆•纳沃罗特教授说:“这是人生中最脆弱的时期。所有的器官系统都尚处在发育阶段。为了保护子孙后代，我们必须减少接触这些有害空气”。他强调，政府虽然有责任减少空气污染、改善空气质量，但人们也应该尽可能避免走繁忙的道路。

A comprehensive global review concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. Nanoparticles have also been found to cross the blood-brain barrier and billions have been found in the hearts of young city dwellers.

一项全面的全球评估报告得出结论称，空气污染可能正在损害人体的每一个器官和几乎每一个细胞。这些污染颗粒也被发现可以穿过血脑屏障，而且根据研究发现，城市年轻居民的心脏中含有数十亿空气污染微粒。

While air pollution is reducing in some nations, the evidence of harm caused by even low levels is rapidly increasing and 90% of the world’s population live in places where air pollution is above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

虽然一些国家的空气污染正在减少，但有证据显示，即使是低水平的空气污染所造成的危害也在迅速增加，世界上90%的人口居住在空气污染质量水平超过世界卫生组织限值的地区。

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, examined 25 placentas from non-smoking women in the town of Hasselt. It has particle pollution levels well below the EU limit, although above the WHO limit. Researchers used a laser technique to detect the black carbon particles, which have a unique fingerprint.

这项发表在《自然•通讯》杂志上的研究调查了哈瑟尔特一个小镇25个不吸烟妇女的胎盘。尽管其颗粒污染水平高于世界卫生组织的限值，但远远低于欧盟的限值。研究人员利用激光技术检测出了具有独特指纹特征的黑碳颗粒。

In each case, they found nanoparticles on the foetal side of the placenta and the number correlated with air pollution levels experienced by the mothers. There was an average of 20,000 nanoparticles per cubic millimetre in the placentas of mothers who lived near main roads. For those further away, the average was 10,000 per cubic millimetre.

他们都在每一个胎盘样本靠近胎儿的一侧发现了这类颗粒，其数量与母体空气污染暴露水平有关。居住在主干道附近的母亲的胎盘中平均每立方毫米含有20000粒黑碳颗粒。居住在更远地方的母体的胎盘中，平均每立方毫米有10000粒。

They also examined placentas from miscarriages and found the particles were present even in 12-week-old foetuses. The first report of possible pollution particles in placentas was presented at a conference in September 2018, though the composition of the particles had not been confirmed.

他们还检查了流产的胎盘，发现这些颗粒甚至在12周大的胎儿中也存在。在2018年9月的一次会议上，首次报告了胎盘中可能存在的污染颗粒，不过这些颗粒的成分尚未得到证实。

The team also found black carbon particles in the urine of primary school children. The study, published in 2017, found an average of 10 million particles per millilitre in hundreds of nine-to-12-year-olds tested. It shows there is translocation of particles from the lungs to all organ systems.

研究小组还在小学生的尿液中发现了黑碳颗粒。一项发表于2017年的研究发现，在数百名接受测试的9至12岁儿童中，平均每毫升含有1000万个微粒。这表明颗粒从肺部转移到了所有器官系统中。