NY attack babies 'born smaller'

By Jonathan Paterson
BBC correspondent in New York

Studies on the long-term effects of the attacks are continuing

Pregnant women exposed to pollution after the World Trade Centre attacks were twice as likely to give birth to smaller babies, according to new research.

The study - published in the Journal of the American Medical Association - found some infants were up to half a pound smaller than children born to non-exposed women.

The air in New York's Lower Manhattan was filled with clouds of soot, concrete dust, broken glass and jet fuel after the Twin Towers collapsed on 11 September 2001.

Researchers at the city's Mount Sinai School of Medicine studied 187 pregnant women who were exposed to dust and pollution in the area.

They found the women faced double the risk of delivering babies smaller than those born to women from other parts of New York.

Long-term effect

The researchers said the smaller babies suggested a condition called Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction or IUGR, which links low birth weight to air pollution.

The condition can lead to problems in later life, including heart disease.

Although the exposure to soot and dust was thought to be relatively short, researchers said the intensity of the pollution was extraordinarily high.

Other studies on the long-term effects of the pollution on residents and emergency workers are continuing.

But it is clear the attacks will continue to have an effect, years after the rubble has been cleared away.