Corrections

The results show that the amount of air pollution did not affect the estimated birth weight during the first to the seventh month of pregnancy.

However, during the eighth month, they could see a significant difference.

The women who were pregnant in the eighth month during the 2008 Olympics (when air pollution decreased), gave birth to babies that on average weighed 23 grams more than babies born the year before or the year after.

For this information, researchers conclude that a brief period of reduced air pollution late in pregnancy can normalize birth weight.

(Vetenskapsradion, 2015) (Rich, et al., 2015) Low birth weight due to growth restriction may give the following: low oxygen levels as birth, inability to maintain body temperature, difficulty feeding and gaining weight, infection, breathing problems, neurologic problems, gastrointestinal problems or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

(Boston Children’s Hospital, n.d.) Discussion In view of the findings of this report, the hypothesis can be confirmed – there is a link between increased air pollution and increased likelihood of suffering from fetal developmental defects.

The results show that Autism Spectrum Disorder, Neural Tube Diseases and low birth weight can be a result of higher air pollution concentrations during pregnancy.

Meanwhile, these relationships are relative.

The diseases mentioned in this report might not be caused only by exposure to air pollution.

The result is not entirely assured, since there might be other factors that could cause these diseases.

Measured values could be a coincidence – that the demand factor is confirmed, but that the result in fact is based on another factor.

To assure accurate results, larger populations need to be investigated under strict conditions.

The goal is to minimize any uncertainty to get as credible indications as possible.

When analyzing the hypothesis opposite, namely that there would be no linkage at all, one can draw a better conclusion.

The research results come from large research groups that have done extensive studies.

Although the material could be wrong, there is a high probability that the results are actually true.

It can then be concluded that there are links between increased pollution and increased likelihood of suffering from fetal developmental defects.

It is highly unlikely that there would not be such connections.

Since this report contains summaries of other reports, the selection of source material plays a major role.

The hypothesis was universal in the sense that it is not clarified which fetal development defects that are caused by air pollution.

Only selected results confirm the hypothesis.

The possibility is great that there are additional fetal development defects caused by air pollution that are not mentioned in this report.

Maybe some fetal development defects that are more severe or more common never made it to this report.

It is tedious, since the goal is to provide a picture as detailed as possible of the defects that may occur.

Future development of this study would be to gather more information and be able to rank the defects by various factors, such as in which PM2.5-concentrations of certain defects arise, which defects that are more or less common in different regions or how severe the defects are.

It is clear that the natural experiment to reduce air pollution in Beijing during the Olympic Games made a positive difference when measuring birth weight.

In the future, several similar experiments are needed to, firstly, discover previously unidentified connection and, secondly, to realize the benefits of cleaner air.

If identified relationships in most reports proves to be unhealthy, to tackle air pollution will be the next challenge.