It's hard to avoid air pollution, particularly for expectant mothers living in densely populated cities. But it is possible to avoid the worst sources of PAH exposure, such as cigarette smoke. Avoiding smoking while pregnant and asking friends and family to refrain from lighting up can help, but Rundle says it's time that more ubiquitous sources of air pollution also be recognized by public health experts and mothers as potentially long-term health hazards. Although Rundle's study did not examine whether a child's exposure to PAHs in his first five years of life could have been the driver of obesity rather than the mother's prenatal exposure, the findings still provide hard-to-ignore evidence that breathing in polluted air could have health effects that may last a lifetime.
【重点单词及短语】
be associated with 与……有关
be curious about 对……好奇的
endocrine disruptors 环境激素
interfere with 干扰，干涉;妨碍;触动或弄坏;乱动;与……抵触
set about 着手;开始做
tuck into 藏进
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) 【化】多环芳香烃，分子中含有两个或两个以上苯环结构的化合物，是最早被认识的化学致癌物。
explain sth. away 为某事搪塞;把……解释过去
account for 对…负有责任;对……做出解释;说明……的原因
correspond to 符合;相当于
hint at 暗示;对……暗示
health hazards 健康危害
Question time:
1. What kinds of research did people do up to now according to the introduction in the passage?
2. How to avoid the worst sources of PAH exposure?