Study 'not tied to' how smog hurts humans

Authors of an article published in a science magazine denied a report that their research suggests PM2.5 pollution has an adverse effect on human health - especially that of pregnant women.

Scientific Reports, an online publication under the Nature Publishing Group, published on March 12 a study by a team of researchers from a number of laboratories in China. The researchers - including the main author, a PhD candidate in the School of Nuclear Science and Technology of Lanzhou University - studied how oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes affect pregnancy by injecting the nanotubes into pregnant mice.

The study found that exposure to the nanoparticles damaged their placentas, reduced their level of progesterone in serum, and increased the risk of miscarriage. The miscarriage rates of mice injected with the nanoparticles were higher than those of the control groups, and those pregnant for the first time had the highest miscarriage rate - 70 percent.