Abstract
Background: Exposure to air pollution may impact neurodevelopment during childhood, but current evidence on the association with cognitive function and mental health is inconclusive and primarily focusses on young children. Therefore, we aim to study the association of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood, with cognitive function and emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. Methods: We used data from 5170 participants of a birth cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Concentrations of fourteen air pollutants at participant's home addresses were estimated during pregnancy and childhood, using land use regression models. We included four cognitive domains (processing speed, working memory, fluid reasoning and verbal intelligence quotient (IQ)) and an estimated full-scale IQ. Internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems were self- and parent-reported. We used linear regression models to assess the association of each air pollutant, with cognitive function and emotional and behavioral problems, adjusting for socioeconomic status and lifestyle characteristics. Then, we performed multipollutant analyses using the Deletion/Substitution/Addition (DSA) algorithm. Results: Air pollution exposure was not associated with full-scale IQ, working memory, or processing speed. Higher exposure to few air pollutants was associated with higher fluid reasoning and verbal IQ scores (e.g. 0.22 points of fluid reasoning (95%CI 0.00; 0.44) per 1 μg/m3 increase in organic carbon during pregnancy). Higher exposure to some air pollutants was also associated with less internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems (e.g. −0.27 internalizing problems (95% CI -0.52; −0.02) per each 5 ng/m3 increase in copper during pregnancy). Conclusions: Higher exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood was not associated with lower cognitive function or more emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. Based on previous literature and biological plausibility, the observed protective associations are probably explained by negative residual confounding, selection bias, or chance and do not represent a causal relationship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 113891 |
| Journal | Environmental Research |
| Volume | 214 (part 2) |
| Early online date | 15 Jul 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was co-financed by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European Social Fund (FSE) " EL FSE invierte en tu futuro” with reference number PRE2020-092005 , according to the Resolution of the Presidency of the AEI, by which grants are awarded for pre-doctoral contracts for the training of doctors, call 2020 (awarded to M.S.W.K). This study was also supported by the Sophia Foundation project S18-20 (awarded to R.L.M.) and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development ( ZonMw ) Vici project 016.VICI.170.200 (awarded to H.T.). MG is funded by a Miguel Servet II fellowship (CPII18/00018) from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III . The general design of Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus Medical Center , Rotterdam, the Erasmus University Rotterdam , ZonMw , The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research ( NWO ), and the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport . The geocodification of the addresses of the study participants and the air pollution estimations are done within the framework of a project funded by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) (Assistance Award No. R-82811201 ). We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program ( CEX2018-000806-S ), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.
Funding Information:
This study was co-financed by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European Social Fund (FSE) " EL FSE invierte en tu futuro” with reference number PRE2020-092005, according to the Resolution of the Presidency of the AEI, by which grants are awarded for pre-doctoral contracts for the training of doctors, call 2020 (awarded to M.S.W.K). This study was also supported by the Sophia Foundation project S18-20 (awarded to R.L.M.) and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) Vici project 016.VICI.170.200 (awarded to H.T.). MG is funded by a Miguel Servet II fellowship (CPII18/00018) from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III. The general design of Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, ZonMw, The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport. The geocodification of the addresses of the study participants and the air pollution estimations are done within the framework of a project funded by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) (Assistance Award No. R-82811201). We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.
Publisher Copyright:
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