Raj Kumar’s Post

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy is stunting children across India and Africa, a growing body of research shows. PM2.5 particles are so small they penetrate the placenta during pregnancy, affecting fetal growth and leading to stunted, malnourished children. In 33 sub-Saharan African countries studied between 2006-2019, over 33% of children under 5 exposed to air pollution were stunted. That's the finding from Devex’s contributor Sanket Jain's investigation, which just won The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications - one of the most prestigious honors in global science journalism. The scale is alarming: Exposure to ambient PM2.5 is deeply linked to class and inequity - the poorest communities face the highest pollution levels while having the least means to escape it. A staggering 2.1 billion people globally lack access to clean cooking fuels, forcing them to burn firewood and other materials that generate harmful household air pollution. Women, who do over 70% of farm work, face heightened risk from agricultural burning and indoor cooking smoke. Sanket spent time with families living this reality. In Maharashtra's Jambhali village, burning sugarcane residue is so intense that decorative garlands turn black every 15 days. When Kiran Yadav inhaled pollutants during pregnancy, her son Vignesh was born at just 1.75 kilograms. In Rajasthan, Premi Chunnilal cooked on a traditional stove throughout her pregnancy - now her 13-month-old son weighs more than a kilogram less than he should. The story connects these intimate portraits with research from New York University, the University of Colorado Denver, and health data spanning dozens of countries. That rigor - "data-driven health science with intimate portraits of everyday life," as the judges put it - is what earned the recognition. Congratulations, Sanket!