Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Children’s Neurobehavioral Functions in Quanzhou, China

Abstract

BackgroundWith the increase of motor vehicles, ambient air pollution related to traffic exhaust has become an important environmental issue in China. Because of their fast growth and development, children are more susceptible to ambient air pollution exposure. Many chemicals from traffic exhaust, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead, have been reported to show adverse effects on neurobehavioral functions. Several studies in China have suggested that traffic exhaust might affect neurobehavioral functions of adults who have occupational traffic exhaust exposure. However, few data have been reported on the effects on neurobehavioral function in children.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to explore the association between traffic-related air pollution exposure and its effects on neurobehavioral function in children.MethodsThis field study was conducted in Quanzhou, China, where two primary schools were chosen based on traffic density and monitoring data of ambient air pollutants. School A was located in a clear area and school B in a polluted area. We monitored NO2 and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm as indicators for traffic-related air pollution on the campuses and in classrooms for 2 consecutive days in May 2005. The children from second grade (8–9 years of age) and third grade (9–10 years of age) of the two schools (n = 928) participated in a questionnaire survey and manual-assisted neurobehavioral testing. We selected 282 third-grade children (school A, 136; school B, 146) to participate in computer-assisted neurobehavioral testing. We conducted the fieldwork between May and June 2005. We used data from 861 participants (school A, 431; school B, 430) with manual neurobehavioral testing and from all participants with computerized testing for data analyses.ResultsMedia concentrations of NO2 in school A and school B campus were 7 μg/m3 and 36 μg/m3, respectively (p < 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that, after controlling the potential confounding factors, participants living in the polluted area showed poor performance on all testing; differences in results for six of nine tests (66.7%) achieved statistical significance: Visual Simple Reaction Time with preferred hand and with nonpreferred hand, Continuous Performance, Digit Symbol, Pursuit Aiming, and Sign Register.ConclusionWe found a significant relationship between chronic low-level traffic-related air pollution exposure and neurobehavioral function in exposed children. More studies are needed to explore the effects of traffic exhaust on neurobehavioral function and development.

Air Pollution Around Schools Is Linked To Poorer Student Health And Academic Performance

“…Researchers have shown that children exposed to air pollution perform worse on cognitive functioning tests 6 and have impaired neurological function [7][8][9] and lower IQ scores 10 compared with other children. Also, children exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide-a common air pollutant generated by the burning of fossil fuels-have been found to have "decreases of 6.71, 7.37 and 8.61 points in quantitative, working memory and gross motor areas, respectively."…”

“…11 Similarly, children with high levels of exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particles 10 micrometers or less in the air-a standard used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure air quality-perform significantly worse on neurobehavioral tests, even after confounding variables are controlled for. 6 In one example of this kind of test, to measure line discrimination, the subject is instructed to hit the space bar on a computer keyboard within a second after seeing a long line, when being presented with long and short lines. And children with high levels of estimated exposure to black carbon-tiny particles released into the air by diesel exhaust, for example-have a decreased ability to perform well on both verbal and nonverbal intelligence and memory assessments, such as the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning.…”

Disruption of Neurosynaptic Physiology and Neuron Network Dysfunction in Brain Disorders: An Environmental and Occupational Health Perspective

“…Black carbon exposure caused downgrading of IQs in babies at 9 year age [175]. Significant reduction in psychomotor, attention and sensory scales, without cognitive impairment was observed in children studying at school located in area of dense city traffick, compared to those from clean air area [176].…”

Associations of Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Children’s Attention Spans: a Factor Analysis

“…In 2005 we conducted a cross-sectional study and found that after controlling the potential confounding factors uusing ordinal logistic regression analysis, participants living in the polluted area showed poor performance on visual simple reaction time, continuous performance, digit symbol, pursuit aiming, and sign register [11]. Although these results were important to understand the associations between TRAP exposure and neurobehavioral disorders, while domain-specific neurobehavioral effects could not be identified because every test directly or indirectly assesses more than one domain of neurobehavioral function.…”