Air Pollution in Womb Linked to Low IQ

New Research Points to Potential Dangers of Carrying Babies in Urban Areas With Dirty Air

(AP)  Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog may harm the developing brain.

The results are in a study of 249 children of New York City women who wore backpack air monitors for 48 hours during the last few months of pregnancy. They lived in mostly low-income neighborhoods in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. They had varying levels of exposure to typical kinds of urban air pollution, mostly from car, bus and truck exhaust.

At age 5, before starting school, the children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored on average four to five points lower than children with less exposure.

That's a big enough difference that it could affect children's performance in school, said Frederica Perera, the study's lead author and director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health.

Dr. Michael Msall, a University of Chicago pediatrician not involved in the research, said the study doesn't mean that children living in congested cities "aren't going to learn to read and write and spell."

But it does suggest that you don't have to live right next door to a belching factory to face pollution health risks, and that there may be more dangers from typical urban air pollution than previously thought, he said.

"We are learning more and more about low-dose exposure and how things we take for granted may not be a free ride," he said.

While future research is needed to confirm the new results, the findings suggest exposure to air pollution before birth could have the same harmful effects on the developing brain as exposure to lead, said Patrick Breysse, an environmental health specialist at Johns Hopkins' school of public health.

And along with other environmental harms and disadvantages low-income children are exposed to, it could help explain why they often do worse academically than children from wealthier families, Breysse said.

"It's a profound observation," he said. "This paper is going to open a lot of eyes."

The study in the August edition of Pediatrics was released Monday.

In earlier research, involving some of the same children and others, Perera linked prenatal exposure to air pollution with genetic abnormalities at birth that could increase risks for cancer; smaller newborn head size and reduced birth weight. Her research team also has linked it with developmental delays at age 3 and with children's asthma.

The researchers studied pollutants that can cross the placenta and are known scientifically as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Main sources include vehicle exhaust and factory emissions. Tobacco smoke is another source, but mothers in the study were nonsmokers.

A total of 140 study children, 56 percent, were in the high exposure group. That means their mothers likely lived close to heavily congested streets, bus depots and other typical sources of city air pollution; the researchers are still examining data to confirm that, Perera said. The mothers were black or Dominican-American; the results likely apply to other groups, researchers said.

The researchers took into account other factors that could influence IQ, including secondhand smoke exposure, the home learning environment and air pollution exposure after birth, and still found a strong influence from prenatal exposure, Perera said.

Dr. Robert Geller, an Emory University pediatrician and toxicologist, said the study can't completely rule out that pollution exposure during early childhood might have contributed. He also noted fewer mothers in the high exposure group had graduated from high school. While that might also have contributed to the high-dose children's lower IQ scores, the study still provides compelling evidence implicating prenatal pollution exposure that should prompt additional studies, Geller said.

The researchers said they plan to continuing monitoring and testing the children to learn whether school performance is affected and if there are any additional long-term effects.

[billpl-2009]

...or does it mean, smart parents move out of congested urban areas

[quickly101]

Tell this to big oil and coal. In reality they could care less about the average man or woman. I would like to live to see the day these were replaced with wind, solar, or nuclear power. But the wealthicans will make sure they keep spewing forth their filth into our air for decades to come.

[DaVicar5]

"Tell this to big oil and coal"

In all fairness to Biggoil and Biggcoal, how healthy and smart do you think little children people would be if their mommies spent sub-zero winter nights in unheated homes?

[ass_u_me]

New Research Points to Potential Dangers of Carrying Babies in Urban Areas With Dirty Air

Wow, what a leap of logic. Toxic fumes, essentially poison, being breathed into a pregnant woman's body, and it affects tissue living inside her. Impossible!

[DaVicar5]

I agree - it's all junk science!

[xlib]

fred_mertz-did a search using dogpile and there are a number of sites that have excerpts of his book. Try doing a search yourself. I just love how you libs resort to name calling.
Just go to dogpile.com put in john holdren and ecoscience and cruise the sites.
Notice, I didn't call you name except lib. Try it, you might be able to enter a discussion or two.
Oh yea, I keep forgetting, you libs don't discuss, you name call and try to destroy.
My bad.
Say, what your take on the thugs green jobs czar, v

[mikethek]

Do a study that includes pregnant women who reside on Fifth Avenue. Bet the results would run counter to these.

[DaVicar5]

There's no pollution on Fifth Avenue.

[DaVicar5]

'249 children of New York City women who wore backpack air monitors for 48 hours during the last few months of pregnancy.' - - -


I think the weight of the backpack air monitors pulled their shoulders down, compressing their spine, and caused increased pressure on the burp canal, which made their kids stupid.

[rf35]

I think my IQ went down after reading this article. Not to mention some of the comments.

[DaVicar5]

Dr. Michael Msall, said the study doesn't mean that children living in congested cities "aren't going to learn to read and write and spell."


Then, how do you explain Linseed Lowhands?

[govwatch2]

Yeah, right!!! Like we never had low IQ until air pollution. These "scientist" must have been born in Shanghai.

[DaVicar5]

How, exactly, are festuses in the womb exposed to air pollution?
Do they have windows down there?

[xlib]

My God, are you an example of a product of the ayers/obama educational system/?
Geesh, go talk to your mom or dad.

[zeitmin77]

They should have made this study in China which is known for both air pollution and intelligent kids.New York on the other hand is known for low intelligence even without air pollution.

[idcabouturproblems]

China is not as intelligent as you think. We think that they are all smart because all of the smart and rich Chinese families who care about education come over to either Europe or the US. There are more opportunities in western countries than in China and these families have realized that. Truth is we are not that much less smart than the Chinese.

[legacyabq]

agreed with changeofideas

correlation does not always equal causation

[DaVicar5]

What difference does it make if you're a Caucasian?
Why do you always bring race into the discussion?

[aChangeOfIdeas]

Relatively small sample size. Monitored for only 48 hours during a 9 month pregnancy. Only monitored late in pregnancy. Did not see any correlation between parent IQ and child (did both groups of moms have the same avg IQ) Researcher even admitted that fewer women in the high exposure group finished high school. Factors between that 48 hour monitoring and the time the kids were tested are impossible to control, or rule out as having an effect. And then, let's not forget the relatively small difference in outcome. I doubt there will be a big performance difference in a kid with a 110 IQ vs. 115. In fact, even a 10 point difference with this sample size is not statistically significant.
I do not doubt that air pollution is NOT healthy! But this study, at least the way it is presented in this article, is not rigorous enough.

[hungry1968-16]

There must be a whole lot of air pollution in the "red states".

[xlib]

Ah yes, the elitist hungry. How the heck are you?? Lousy weather we're having. I was actually hoping for a global warming article.
So, just tell me, does your hate of conservatives make you feel better? I mean, is your life so barren, so empty that you have to find a group to hate to feel alive.
I mean, you people are amazing. Say, did you happen to hear about the muslim conference being held at this very moment in Chicago?? No?? Oh, yea, not covered here. Well seems the islamic group responsible for recruiting new jihadist is holding a conference at a Hilton in Oak Lawn outside of Chicago. Chicago the hometown of your messiah. Oh, my bad, we don't know where his real hometown is do we.
Now, about this science you libs are buying into. Have you met the thug's new science czar?? No, well, his name is john holdren and he wrote a book called "ecoscience" in the 70's about the time we were supposedly entering the next ICE AGE!! He wrote in his book, still found at Columbia, that thought compulsory abortions were just dandy, that mass sterilization via our water supply was just great, great things like that.
Have a great day in Western New York.

[fred-mertz]

"john holdren ... wrote a book called "ecoscience" in the 70's... He wrote in his book, still found at Columbia, that thought compulsory abortions were just dandy, that mass sterilization via our water supply was just great, great things like that." - xlib

That is a deliberate LIE by right-wing hate mongers. You are an imbecile to believe it, and even more of a fool to repeat it. Anyone who has taken even a cursory look at that book would realize that nowhere in it does Dr. Holdren recommend the measures described. It is a textbook that describes the many approaches to limiting population that others have proposed or studied. Dr. Holdren and the other authors make very clear they do not endorse ANY coercive approaches."

xlib, you are on the wrong side of history, and no matter how many lies you tell, you will never win.

[ubrew12]

This ones for you, xlib:
According to the PEW Research Center for the People and the Press:
The likelihood of a conservative Republican believing that Global Warming is real and human-caused is 21%.
The likelihood of a scientist (ANY scientist, not just a climatologist) thinking the same is 84%.
Finally, proof that conservative Republicans are the Neaderthals we all said they were: absolutely as FAR removed from the scientific consensus as it is possible to get. Why am I surprised??

Just one more: the percentage of American scientists who think Global Warming is a 'VERY serious problem' for humanity is 70%.

http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1550

Read it if you can, moron.

[tomadams99]

More libbie blathering by the sycophantic lapdogs of Obumbles.

[fred-mertz]

I can tell your mother was one of the affected!

So, what's your point? Are you trying to say that air pollution is really GOOD for us? What an imbecile!

[DaVicar5]

by fred-mertz "So, what's your point? Are you trying to say that air pollution is really GOOD for us?"



Some Air Pollution is very good for us, especially the kind that kills mosquitos, which carry disease.

[fred-mertz]

"Some Air Pollution is very good for us, especially the kind that kills mosquitos, which carry disease." - DaVicar5

You might as well say that some NUCLEAR BOMBS are "good for us, especially the kind that kills mosquitos".

IDIOT!

[DaVicar5]

by fred-mertz = You might as well say that some NUCLEAR BOMBS are "good for us, especially the kind that kills mosquitos".

IDIOT!



Yer the idiot! Everybody knows that nuclear bombs don't kill mosquitos!

[govtguy]

Talk about false logic! With this supposition on atmosphere directly related to mental health and intelligence, its a wonder most New Yorkers are able to walk and chew gum at the same time; although it now explains alot about their political leaders.

[harpoot]

Aha, that explains the majority of the US population.

[Snowhare]

What a finding!
I wonder comes off it: Elite-Breeding in clean-air refugees in the Rockies?

But seriously, this is shocking! What CAN pregnant women do? Will they have to wear masks in the city of the future?

[fred-mertz]

by AwwCmonWhatIsThis July 20, 2009 10:30 AM EDT
"Your blood is filtered so many times before it ever reaches the baby..."

You are DEFINITELY AN IMBECILE. Ever heard of "fetal alcohol syndrome", or how about "crack cocaine babies"? Obviously, not everything gets filtered out!

[xlib]

Naw, we're going to put a big old tent over the entire country so we don't get polluted air from China and India.
That'll work and I'm sure it's in the waxman tax the hell out of us bill that was just rushed through.
Crisis, you know.