Cognitive Development and Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure in the CHAMACOS Cohort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Balmes JR ; Eskenazi B ; Gunier RB ; Harley KG ; Holm SM ; Kogut K
• Description:
  Background: Because fine particulate matter [PM, with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5)] is a ubiquitous environmental exposure, small changes in cognition associated with PM2.5 exposure could have great societal costs. Prior studies have demonstrated a relationship between in utero PM2.5 exposure and cognitive development in urban populations, but it is not known whether these effects are similar in rural populations and whether they persist into late childhood. Objectives: In this study, we tested for associations between prenatal PM2.5 exposure and both full-scale and subscale measures of IQ among a longitudinal cohort at age 10.5 y. Methods: This analysis used data from 568 children enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a birth cohort study in California's agricultural Salinas Valley. Exposures were estimated at residential addresses during pregnancy using state of the art, modeled PM2.5 surfaces. IQ testing was performed by bilingual psychometricians in the dominant language of the child. Results: A 3-µg/m3 higher average PM 2.5 over pregnancy was associated with -1.79 full-scale IQ points [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.98, - 0.58], with decrements specifically in Working Memory IQ (WMIQ) and Processing Speed IQ (PSIQ) subscales [WMIQ - 1.72 (95% CI: -2.98, -0.45) and PSIQ -1.19 (95% CI: -2.54, 0.16)]. Flexible modeling over the course of pregnancy illustrated mid-to-late pregnancy (months 5-7) as particularly susceptible times, with sex differences in the timing of susceptible windows and in which subscales were most affected [Verbal Comprehension IQ (VCIQ) and WMIQ in males; and PSIQ in females]. Discussion: We found that small increases in outdoor PM2.5 exposure in utero were associated with slightly lower IQ in late childhood, robust to many sensitivity analyses. In this cohort there was a larger effect of PM2.5 on childhood IQ than has previously been observed, perhaps due to differences in PM composition or because developmental disruption could alter the cognitive trajectory and thus appear more pronounced as children get older. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Air Pollution Cohort Studies Environmental Exposure Nervous System Occupational Health Particulate Matter Pregnancy Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Air Pollution Cognitive Function Cohort Studies Environmental Exposure Particulates Prenatal Exposure
• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  131
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067291
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2023 Mar; 131(3):037007
• Contact Point Address:
  Stephanie M. Holm, UCSF Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2330 Post St. #460, San Francisco, CA 94115
• Email:
  stephanie.holm@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• End Date:
  20060929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:acb5f55e1bce4570e7060cfc76ad1d070202908af86274ad1f92477a98144aa1ed5288dad401ff80e3fe40351fbbf805523234a0f73b4a809d90a1ffa52a1155
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231392/cdc_231392_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.63 MB ]