Brain & Air Quality

I don’t know if you have blogged about this before or not, but I am really concerned about hearing that the quality of air a child breathes can negatively impact brain development. So, what can be done?

The report of a research project led by Travis Beckwith was released this month on this topic and it does give one pause. Beckwith and colleagues did MRI scans on 135 children participating in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study, or CCAAPS. Exposure to air pollution for each child was estimated using data from an air sampling network that included 27 sites in the Cincinnati area. Participants were evaluated at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 12. At age 12, the children were assessed on reading ability, executive function, mental health, intelligence, and other neurodevelopmental outcomes. At age 12, the children were assessed on reading ability, executive function, mental health, intelligence and other neurodevelopmental outcomes. The conclusion was that that “early life exposure to air pollution poses a significant risk to brain development from direct exposure to toxicants or via indirect mechanisms involving the circulatory, pulmonary or gastrointestinal systems. In children, exposure to traffic related air pollution has been associated with adverse effects on cognitive, behavioral and psychomotor development.” More tomorrow.