Scientist denies research shows harms of smog

An author of an article published in an international science magazine denied that his research said anything about the potential harm of air pollution on humans.

On March 12, Scientific Reports published a study by a team of researchers from a number of laboratories in China.

The researchers studied the effect of oxidized carbon nanotubes on pregnancy by injecting the nanotubes into pregnant mice. The study found that the nanoparticles damaged the mice's placentas, reduced their level of progesterone and increased the risk of miscarriage compared with control groups.

"These results suggest that (carbon nanotubes) elicit severe toxicity to pregnant women. Proper safety precautions must be taken to prevent damages caused by carbon nanoparticle pollution during pregnancy," the article reads.

The study "directly confirms that particles in the atmosphere, such as PM 2.5, can cause pregnancy disorders and warns pregnant women living for a long time in areas heavily polluted by particles," said the School of Nuclear Science and Technology at Lanzhou University on April 9.

However, Qi Wei, an author of the report and doctorate student at the university, was quoted by China National Radio on Tuesday as saying that the experiment focused on how nanotubes affect pregnant mice and the conclusion does not pertain to humans.