A recent study adds to the growing body of research suggesting that air pollution can harm kids’ brain development. Using data from 1,967 mothers recruited during pregnancy from Memphis, Minneapolis; Rochester, San Francisco, Seattle, and Yakima, the researchers found that
“children whose mothers experienced higher nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure during pregnancy, particularly in the first and second trimester, were more likely to have behavioral problems,”
reports Science Daily.
The study also linked heightened exposure to pollutants between the ages of two and four with poorer behaviour and cognitive performance.
“This study underscores the importance of air pollution as a preventable risk factor for healthy child neurodevelopment,”
said senior author Dr. Catherine Karr, a professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and School of Medicine. [Science Daily]
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