Working in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India.
The study found that the risks to mothers-to-be are significantly higher than previously thought.
Eight hundred pregnant women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu took part in the study, which was started in 2017 by the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai.
About half of those who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high levels of heat, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The others worked in cooler environments, such as schools and hospitals, although some workers were also exposed to very high levels of heat in those jobs too.
There is no conclusive universal threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body, says the BBC.
Previous studies have shown about a 15% rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth during heatwaves, but these have generally been conducted in high-income countries such as the US and Australia.
India is predicted to become one of the first countries in the world where temperatures will top the safe limit for healthy people who are simply resting in the shade, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.
