Polluted air causes fat children

New research has discovered that the increasing number of overweight and obese people in industrialised countries could be related to pollution levels.

In Britain one quarter of adults and one fifth of children are now classed as obese, meaning that they have a body mass index in excess of 30kg per square metre.

A study by scientists at the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona found that exposure to common chemicals in the womb increases the chance that a baby will grow up to be overweight or obese.

The research measured the levels of common pesticide hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the umbilical cords of 403 babies before they were born.

Babies with the highest levels of HCB were twice as likely to be obese at the age of six and a half. The reason behind the link is not yet known.

In the past HCB was commonly used to treat seeds. It is now subject to a worldwide ban, but traces of the chemical can still be found in the environment and in many food products.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Health Sciences said the conclusions of the study were ‘very important’ but ‘not surprising’.

He added that the use of chemicals such as HCB in farming presents the ‘biggest challenge’ to public health in today’s world.