In utero tobacco smoke exposure alters pulmonary responses of newborn rats to ozone.

Prenatal tobacco smoke (TS) exposure has been implicated in various adverse health outcomes in the offspring, including poor development of lung and immune system, which in turn can alter the response of neonates to environmental challenges. This study was performed to determine whether in utero exposure to TS influences the pulmonary response of newborn rat pups to ozone (O₃). Timed pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to TS or air for 3 h/d from gestation d 7 through 21.