Air Pollution and IQ in Children

Researchers have for the first time linked prenatal exposure to air pollution to lower IQ scores in childhood. The results support growing evidence that smog and urban pollution may harm the neurological development of children. The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Frederica Perera is lead author of the study and director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health. She joined us as part of our Next Green Thing series.

Associated Press: Air Pollution in Womb Linked to Low IQ

Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics: Prenatal Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure and Child IQ at Age 5 Years

Most people think of their home as a sanctuary from toxic air, a place where smog and exhaust from buses and cars can’t permeate. But according to a 2005 state study, Californians spend 45 billion dollars a year on the health effects of indoor air pollution. Similar expenditures have been seen across the country, causing some people to worry about the harmful pollutants lurking in their homes. KQED asked an air quality specialist to sniff out the air pollutants inside a typical San Francisco home and to explain what can be done to mitigate their effects.

You can listen to Amy Standen's piece at the Public Radio Exchange.

(Photo by Ben Amstutz via Flickr/Creative Commons)