Excessive exposure to air pollution can harm the embryonic development of the nervous system, reveals a new study conducted by the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Testing was carried out with chicken embryos, which were exposed to the particulate matter found in the air of a typical neighborhood in this southern Brazilian city, one of the country’s most polluted.

Biologist Paula Bertacin injected a suspension of fine particulates in embryonic eggs. "We then analyzed morphological aspects of the cells in the cerebellum, a central nervous system organ whose sensitivity to toxic substances is well known," she told Tierramérica.

"The results indicated a reduction in the number of Purkinje cells, which are neurons that play a key role in various functions," she said.

The study’s conclusions cannot yet be applied to humans. "Now we will work with other animals, like mice, and assess other parameters, with the potential for relating the results to the human species," she added.