An international team led by Prof. Jim Zhang has received a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study air pollution’s impacts on fetal development and birth weight. By monitoring 660 expectant mothers in Beijing from early pregnancy through delivery, Prof. Zhang and his colleagues hope to pinpoint how exposure to air pollution triggers biological mechanisms that lead to lower birth weights and higher risks of hypertension, coronary heart disease and other chronic conditions later in life.The 5-year project has established a wide partnership among collaborators in China and aboard.