Air Pollution Linked to Developmental Delay

Exposure to air pollution before birth can cause developmental delay in children, according to a study performed by Columbia University’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health and published by

Environmental Health Perspectives in April 2006. The study measured the exposure of pregnant women living in the Washington Heights, Central Harlem, and South Bronx neighborhoods of New York City to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are released by combustion, with automobile exhaust being the main source. The study, which tested 183 three-year-old children, found that those who were exposed to the highest PAH levels scored, on average, 6% lower on cognitive tests than the less-exposed children and were three times as likely to be developmentally disabled. Previous studies have linked

in utero PAH exposure to reduced weight and head circumference at birth.