FRIDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to household, coal-derived pollution may stunt the growth of children whose families rely on coal for heating, according to research published online Feb. 7 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
To examine what effect indoor coal combustion has on children's growth, Rakesh Ghosh, Ph.D., of the University of California at Davis, and colleagues studied growth measurements of 1,133 children from birth to 36 months of age whose families used coal for heating.
The researchers found that indoor coal use was significantly associated with reduced height at 36 months of age, by 1.34 cm in boys and 1.3 cm for girls. Postnatal cigarette smoke exposure modified this association.
"Pollution from indoor coal use may impair early childhood skeletal growth to age 36 months. Because a significant proportion of the world population still uses coal indoors, the finding has public health consequences," the authors write.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)