Air regulations 'need to take the vulnerable into account'

Those bodies devising air regulatory methods need to consider the effect that air pollution has on pregnant women, the young and small children, it has been claimed.

According to a new report from the University of California's (UCLA) Institute of the Environment, there has been increasing evidence that air pollution poses a risk to pregnant women and can result in birth defects and respiratory problems in babies and the young.

It further claims that these factors are not considered thoroughly enough by regulators devising air quality guidelines.

Thomas B Smith, acting director and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the institute, stated: "Few environmental challenges carry as much significance to the long-term future of Southern California as the effect of air pollution on the health of pregnant women, infants and young children."

Elsewhere in the US, the Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly aiming to relax rules on air quality monitoring in and around rural areas.