Sign in Subscribe
Air pollution

Prenatal and Early Life Exposure to Air Pollutants Linked to Cognitive and Adaptive Outcomes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers from the University of California Davis investigated the association between prenatal and early life exposure to air pollutants and cognitive and adaptive outcomes in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, published in Environmental Research, analyzed data from the CHARGE case-control study, which included children born between 2000 and 2016. The results suggest that pre-pregnancy ozone exposure and ultrafine particulate matter during the second year of life were strongly associated with decreased cognitive and adaptive functioning in children without ASD. In contrast, weaker and less consistent associations were observed between particulate matter and ozone exposure and cognitive and adaptive outcomes in children with ASD.

Key Takeaways:

  • Prenatal and early life exposure to air pollutants, particularly ozone and ultrafine particulate matter, was associated with decreased cognitive and adaptive functioning in children without ASD.
  • The study analyzed data from the CHARGE case-control study, which included children born between 2000 and 2016.
  • Pre-pregnancy ozone exposure was strongly negatively associated with all scores in the non-ASD group (group posterior inclusion probability (gPIP) = 0.83-1.00).
  • Ultrafine particulate matter during the second year of life was also strongly negatively associated with all scores in the non-ASD group (gPIP = 0.59-0.93), with PM0.1 driving the group association (conditional PIP (cPIP) = 0.73-0.96).
  • Weaker and less consistent associations were observed between particulate matter and ozone exposure and cognitive and adaptive outcomes in children with ASD.
  • The study suggests that further investigation into ozone and ultrafine PM as potential environmental risk factors for neurodevelopment is warranted.

Statistics:

  • The study included data from n = 660 children with ASD and n = 753 children without ASD (typically developing (TD) and developmentally delayed (DD) combined).
  • The CHARGE case-control study included children born between 2000 and 2016.
  • The study analyzed air pollutant concentrations and cognitive and adaptive outcomes using hierarchical Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models.
  • The group posterior inclusion probability (gPIP) for pre-pregnancy ozone exposure in the non-ASD group ranged from 0.83-1.00.
  • The group posterior inclusion probability (gPIP) for ultrafine particulate matter during the second year of life in the non-ASD group ranged from 0.59-0.93.

Sources:

  • Pre-pregnancy Ozone and Ultrafine Particulate Matter Exposure During Second Year of Life Associated With Decreased Cognitive and Adaptive Functioning At Aged 2-5 Years. Environmental Research, 2024;252.
  • University of California Davis, School of Medicine, Dept. of Public Health Sciences, 128 Med Sci 1C, One Shields Ave, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA, UC Davis MIND Institute.

Read more