Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants and child development trajectories through 7 years

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ines Gonzalez Casanova Soberon, Emory University; Aryeh D Stein, Emory University; Albino Barraza-Villarreal, National Institute of Public Health; Raquel Garcia Feregrino, National Institute of Public Health; Ann DiGirolamo, Emory University; Leticia Hernandez-Cadena, National Institute of Public Health; Juan A. Rivera, National Institute of Public Health; Isabelle Romieu, Emory University; Usha Ramakrishnan, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-05-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2018 The Authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.04.004
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
• ISSN: 1438-4639
• Volume: 221
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 616
• End Page: 622
• Grant/Funding Information: Thrasher Research Fund; National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R01 HD043099, R01HD058818, R03-HD087606;and Mexican National Council of Science and Technology grants 87121 and 202062.
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Mold; NEURODEVELOPMENT; Household pollutants; Science & Technology; LEAD-EXPOSURE; HEALTH; ABBREVIATED SCALE; INDUSTRIAL-CHEMICALS; Prenatal exposure; BISPHENOL-A; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Air pollution; COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT; Pesticides; Long-Term cognitive development; WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE; PROSPECTIVE BIRTH COHORT; Infectious Diseases; AIR-POLLUTION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Background: Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants such as mold, lead, pesticides, tobacco, and air pollutants has been suggested to impair cognitive development. Evidence is needed from longitudinal studies to understand their joint impact on child development across time. Objective: To study associations between exposure to indoor environmental pollutants or outdoor air pollution during pregnancy and offspring cognitive development trajectories through 7 years. Methods: We included 718 Mexican mother-child pairs. Prenatal exposure to indoor environmental pollutants (mold, ventilation, pesticides, tobacco smoke, and use of vidiartred clay pots) was self-reported by the mothers and integrated into an index, or objectively measured in the case of outdoor air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, benzene, toluene, and xylene). Child global cognitive development was measured at 12, 18, 60, or 84 months. Using Latent Class Growth Analysis, we identified three developmental trajectories (positive = 108, average = 362, low = 248). We used multinomial logistic models to test associations between environmental pollutant score (EPS) or outdoor air pollutants, and cognitive development trajectories. Results: After adjustment for sociodemographic covariates, EPS was associated with the average (OR = 1.26 95%CI = 1.01, 1.55) and low (OR = 1.41 95%CI = 1.11, 1.79) trajectories compared to positive; where a unit increase in EPS means an additional prenatal exposure to a pollutant. There was no association between outdoor air pollutants and cognitive development trajectories. Conclusion: Children of women who reported higher exposure to indoor environmental pollutants during pregnancy were more likely to follow worse developmental trajectories through 7 years. These results support the development and testing of interventions to reduce exposure to environmental pollutants during pregnancy and early childhood as a potential strategy to improve long-term cognitive development.