Prenatal particulate matter exposure is linked with neurobehavioral development in early life

BACKGROUND: Particulate matter (PM) is a major environmental health concern and there is growing evidence that early exposure to PM can have adverse effects on neurobehavioral development in children, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we hypothesized that prenatal PM2.5 exposure is linked with changes in neurobehavioral development in early life. METHODS: This study was part of the prospective ENVIRONAGE birth cohort and included 85 mother-newborn pairs. The Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) was administered to 1-2-month-olds to evaluate newborn's behavior. In addition, 392 children aged 4-6 years of the ENVIRONAGE cohort were included. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the child's behavior. PM2.5 concentrations were determined by a high-resolution spatial-temporal method based on the maternal residential address. Multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression models were used to link prenatal PM2.5 exposure and neurobehavioral development in newborns and children, respectively. RESULTS: A 5 µg/m(3) increase in PM2.5 concentration in early pregnancy was linked with lower scores for the NBAS range of state cluster (-0.22; 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.02; p = 0.03) in newborns aged 1-2 months old, as well as with higher odds of a child having peer problems (OR 3.90; 95% CI: 1.39 to 10.88; p = 0.01), higher total difficulties scores (OR 1.67; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.78; p = 0.047), and abnormal prosocial behavior (OR 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.98; p = 0.04) at age 4-6 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides indications that prenatal PM2.5 exposure influences neurobehavioral development, both in newborns and in early childhood. This evidence suggests that reducing exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy may be an important public health strategy for promoting optimal neurodevelopment in early life. KEY MESSAGES: • In utero PM2.5 exposure is related to changes in neurobehavior in newborns. • Prenatal PM2.5 exposure is linked with higher chances of abnormal behavior in children aged 4-6 years old.