Exposure to pollution during pregnancy may be linked to lower cognitive scores in infants, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Health.
Experts at the University of Colorado studied 161 healthy participants residing in California as part of the Southern California Mother’s Milk Study.
“Higher exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy, particularly in the mid and late prenatal periods, was inversely associated with scaled and composite motor, cognitive, and language scores at 2 years,” the authors established in their study.
“These results indicate that prenatal ambient air pollution may negatively impact neurodevelopment in early life.”
“This study adds to the growing body of literature cataloging the negative health consequences of both pre- and postnatal ambient air pollution exposure that should be used to inform policy efforts to limit human exposure to air pollutants.”
