Air Pollution, Depression, and Pregnancy

Air pollution is a big killer, a culprit in 6.7 million deaths a year. It’s also depressing to live in a polluted area, and not simply for aesthetic reasons. Many people don't even know they are being exposed to some types of invisible air pollution.

A team of researchers in California recently linked air pollution to depression during and after pregnancy. That’s dangerous to both mothers and their babies, explains Dr. Jun Wu, the team's principal investigator and a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of California Irvine.

Mothers with postpartum depression have a higher risk of suicide and of harming their babies. Babies of mothers with postpartum depression themselves risk emotional and cognitive damage.

The UC Irvine team found that air pollution shows up in some surprising places as well. Listen as Dr. Wu chats with One World, One Health host Maggie Fox about what her team found and what it means for our health.