DOCTORS FIND SOOT IN PLACENTAS OF FIVE WOMEN

Soot particles have been discovered in the placentas of pregnant women for the first time, leading scientists to warn that pollution may directly harm unborn babies.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London discovered small black areas in the organ that surrounds the fetus in five mothers-tobe living in London.

The discovery helps explain data suggesting that women living in polluted areas are more prone to premature birth and having low-birth weight babies.