The exposure to pollution during pregnancy can have many adverse effects in infants and children that can even extend into adulthood, according to the findings of a recent study published in the journal Antioxidants. The study, conducted by Natalie Johnson, an associate professor at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, and colleagues, examined animal models to evaluate the effects on litter size, birth weight and immune markers found in the lung and liver tissue of newborn offspring. The research observed that there are significant associations between fine particulate pollution and increased odds of respiratory diseases. It also highlighted the importance of Nrf2 genes, deficiency of which was observed to cause greater effects on the animal models.