Prenatal exposure to air pollution in the first and second trimesters was associated with lower scores for cognitive development at ages 1 and 3 according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. These findings add to a large body of evidence on the vulnerability of the fetal developmental period to air pollution. The study is published in the journal Environmental Health(link is external and opens in a new window).
âThese findings underscore the need for stronger policies to protect pregnant individuals and offspring, particularly during vulnerable, early life-stage of development,â says first author Frederica Perera, DrPH, PhD, director of the Program in Translational Research at the Columbia Center for Childrenâs Environmental Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
The researchers followed 470 African American and Latina mother/child pairs in a prospective cohort study based in low-income communities of Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. Gestational exposure to respirable particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was assessed in relation to cognitive and motor development assessed at ages 1, 2, and 3 years.
Comments