Early exposure to air pollution can later influence the development of the brain and mental health: new research

Exposure to air pollution in early life can have permanent effects on Child development And Mental health in adolescenceAccording to our recent study.

We have integrated air pollution data with existing longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDs). The CHDS has followed more than 1,200 children born in the city in 1977, with a strong focus on the results of development and mental health.

Our goal was to investigate how exposure to air pollution forms development and mental health in later youth and adolescence. We found an increased risk of attention problems, behavioral problems, lower level of education and substance abuse in adolescence associated with higher exposure.

Existing evidence often focuses on adulthood. However, by following exposure to air pollution from the prenatal period to the age of ten and linking this data to subsequent cognitive and mental health results, we were able to emphasize the long -term consequences of Growing up in polluted environments.

Air pollution is especially one of the leading environmental contributions to diseases airways And cardiovascular conditions. Children are mainly vulnerable Air pollution because their brains and bodies are developing.

A growing amount of evidence suggests that air pollution can influence brain development” level of education and mental health, contribute to depression” tension And behavior or attention problems. Despite this, Few studies have followed long -term exposure to air pollution from the early childhood.

Exposure patterns

We have chosen to conduct this research in Christchurch because the city has a Historical air defense hotspotimmediately Documented history of measurements, and because of its long -term birth accort study.

The CHDS collects detailed information about the health, development, education and family backgrounds of the participants from Prenatal to adulthood.

For this study we linked Historical data about air pollutionMeasured as the concentration of black smoke from 1977 to 1987, after residential locations of birth accort members. This allowed researchers to estimate the annual exposure of each child to air pollution during important development periods.

We found four different patterns of exposure to air pollution during childhood (see graph below):

• consistently low (these children had the lowest levels of air pollution during childhood)
• Consistently high (these groups had the highest levels of air pollution from birth to the age of ten)
• Increased kindergarten (exposure peak between the age of three to six and then dropped)
• High prenatal and postnatal (high exposure before and immediately after birth, but later decrease).

We then investigated whether children in the higher exposure groups had rather adverse consequences for cognition, educational performance and mental health in later youth and adolescence.

We have adapted for a reach potential confounders such as socio -economic status, Buurtdadeel and parental characteristics.

We discovered that children with an increased exposure from kindergarten had a poorer level of education and a greater chance of behavioral disorders and problems with substance abuse. High prenatal and postnatal exposure was linked to a greater risk of attention problems and substance abuse in adolescence.

Children with persistent exposure to air pollution were more likely to develop attention problems and had greater opportunities on problems with substance abuse in adolescence.

What these findings mean

The effects of air pollution on different results were small on an individual level, but they can be very important at a population level.

This is because even small shifts in cognitive and mental health results, when applied to entire populations of children who are exposed to poor air quality, may have important consequences that can influence future educational performance, employee productivity and public health tax.

These findings support previous research that suggests that air pollution can influence brain function by causing inflammation” oxidative stress and influence Neurological development paths. It is important that they reinforce the idea that certain development periods, such as the prenatal period and early childhood, can be particularly sensitive to exposure to pollution.

We need further research to confirm our findings, but potential considerations include reducing the exposure of children to air pollution and improving urban air quality by reducing the emissions of vehicles, industry and residential heating.

We must also promote cleaner energy sources to reduce exposure to harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and fine particles. Had better access to green spaces be able to Limit the impact of air pollution.

To strengthen public health and policy measures, we need stricter air quality regulations, in particular around schools and childcare centers. We must also implement air quality monitoring in urban areas to identify risky zones for children.

Better public information is crucial to minimize exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution. This can include the use of air cleansers for indoor activities or limiting outside exposure during peak pollinations.

Further research and action

Our study emphasizes the need for more research into the effects of air pollution on mental health and cognition of children, in particular in various environmental and social -economic contexts.

Policy makers, educators and health care professionals must regard air pollution as a potential risk factor for developmental challenges, not just as a problem with physical health.

Air pollution may not be visible in the same way as poor housing or inaccessible health care, but its impact on the development of children can be important at population level.

Given the rising prevalence of mental diseases health in young people and adults, tackling air pollution can be overlooked but essential strategy for public health to protect future generations.

This article has been re -published from The conversation Under a Creative Commons license. Read the Original article.