Babies born near polluting industries in New Mexico are significantly more likely to be small at birth, which is associated with a host of health risks. That’s according to a new study from the University of New Mexico’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.
The researchers believe that their study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Management, is the first of its kind in the state. Several parts of New Mexico experience air pollution levels that rank among the nation’s worst, according to a separate study by the American Lung Association. The air quality is particularly bad in the state’s main metro areas of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, as well as in the southeastern corner, including the Permian Basin, America’s most productive oilfield.
“The stakes are incredibly high,” Giovanna Rossi, the New Mexico organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, a nonprofit that works to protect children from air pollution, said in a statement. “Low birth weight not only impacts the health of newborns but can also set children up for health issues that extend well into adulthood.”
The study found a strong connection between exposure to five common industrial pollutants during pregnancy and low birth weight. Immediately after birth, a low weight can lead to respiratory, vision and digestive issues for newborns. And later in life, low birth weight is associated with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and developmental disabilities. For this study, a low birth weight was defined as less than 2,500 grams — about 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
The researchers compiled weight data from birth certificates for more than 250,000 infants born in New Mexico between 2008 and 2017. They then built a pollution exposure model based on the mother’s home address and included Environmental Protection Agency data that tracks air quality and emissions from industrial facilities.
The study found that the odds of having a dangerously low birth weight increased the closer the pregnant person lived to the polluting facilities. Black and Latino pregnant women in New Mexico had higher incidences of low birth weight for their infants, researchers also found.
“The stakes are incredibly high.”
The study did not identify the individual industrial sites but noted that polluters were concentrated in the Albuquerque area. In early June, residents of a neighborhood just south of Albuquerque asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate air pollution that was disproportionately impacting minorities and low-income areas. The area includes chemical storage sites, oil terminals, a wastewater plant and two Superfund sites, according to the New Mexico Political Report.
Another significant concentration of industrial polluters was found near Carlsbad, the study said, and researchers also included pollution data from more than 50 sites in West Texas, just across the state line. Texas and New Mexico are the first- and second-largest oil producers in the nation. For years, environmental justice activists have been calling attention to the air quality impacts and respiratory consequences of the Permian’s oil boom.
In a press release, the researchers stressed the need for more studies focused on the public health impacts in the southeastern part of the state, where the industrial concentration is especially high. The University of New Mexico research team is working on a related project, investigating links between industrial air pollution and cancer rates.
“This study serves as a crucial call to action for policymakers, agencies and industry leaders to protect pregnant mothers and their babies from industrial pollution,” Rossi said. “It is essential to strengthen protections from industrial pollution while enhancing air monitoring and mitigation efforts, particularly in areas identified as high-risk.”
Nick Bowlin is a contributing editor for High Country News. Email him at nickbowlin@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
