Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyPHOENIX -- A recent study out of New York found that expectant mothers who live in highly smog filled areas are more likely to have children with lower IQ’s than those who don’t.
“The other concern that's raised in my mind is that is may actually have some effect on the oxygen that the developing fetus sees, “ said pediatrician Doctor Sara Emerick with St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The study, done by the
Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health followed a number of women of all races and ages, along with their children to the age of five, living in urban air pollution. These children tended to have an IQ score five points lower than children who grew up in more rural areas.
The study found that children exposed to high levels of PAHs in New York City had full-scale and verbal IQ scores that were 4.31 and 4.67 points lower, respectively, than those of less exposed children. High PAH levels were defined as above the median of 2.26 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3).
The study is linked to PAH, chemicals that are released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco. In urban areas like Phoenix, motor vehicles are a major source of PAHs.
“If I were pregnant, the study would bother me,” added Emerick. “All of the high levels of pollution in the air may have small effects on the amount of oxygen that's carried in the blood stream. And for a pregnant woman, that's not going to significantly effect her well being, but because the fetus is seeing a reduced level of oxygen, that could have an effect on their development as well.”
The study included children who were born to non-smoking Black and Dominican American women age 18 to 35 who resided in Washington Heights, Harlem or the South Bronx in New York. The children were followed from in utero to 5 years of age. The mothers wore personal air monitors during pregnancy to measure exposure to PAHs and they responded to questionnaires.
At 5 years of age, 249 children were given an intelligence test known as the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of the Intelligence, which provides verbal, performance and full-scale IQ scores.
The researchers developed models to calculate the associations between prenatal PAH exposure and IQ. They accounted for other factors such as second-hand smoke exposure, lead, mother’s education and the quality of the home caretaking environment.
Study participants exposed to air pollution levels below the average were designated as having “low exposure,” while those exposed to pollution levels above the average were identified as “high exposure.” A total of 140 children were classified as having high PAH exposure.
Maricopa County is one of the nations worst when it comes to the brown cloud and urban air pollution, which has subjected children to these kinds of results.
As an expectant mother, you should be limiting your time outside on high pollution days, as well as taking in a diet that’s high in antioxidants, like fruits, vegetables and dry beans to fight the dirty air.
“As a mother, you want what's best for your kid, you want your child to reach the absolute top potential, and I'm not gonna want to do anything to lower that, including exposing myself to pollution,” added Emerick.
