Air Pollution May Damage Babies’ Brains
ScienceDirect has just published research titled “Prenatal heat and air pollution exposure alter progesterone and child behavior: A longitudinal study.” Air pollution, combined with heat, can affect a child’s behavior based on exposure in the womb and later in life.
The researchers studied 256 children, mostly from racial or ethnic minority groups, born between 2009 and 2014 in New York City. They tested a hormone called progesterone. Air pollution measurements were based on nitrogen dioxide and fine particles.
The scientist tested the children when they were 3 years old and then examined their behavior, which could include being withdrawn or acting out, when they were 4 and 5 years old.
Behavior In Young Children
In high-pollution areas, heat exposure in the first trimester triggered higher progesterone levels, which were linked to problems with being anxious or aggressive at age 5. These effects didn’t show up in areas with cleaner air.
The researchers reported, “This is the first study to suggest that progesterone might be a key link between environmental factors (like heat and pollution) and kids’ behavior.”
The cost of this to society is immeasurable. It also has economic effects. These children are most certainly unlikely to do as well academically as healthy children. That will affect them economically later in their lives.
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