February 2015 - Researchers at the NIEHS/EPA Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) recently found that prenatal exposure to air pollutants can increase the risk of behavioral problems related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study found that children born to mothers living in urban areas with high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, while pregnant, had five times higher odds of behavior problems associated with ADHD at age 9. PAHs are generated from combustion including motor vehicles, residential boilers and electricity-generating plants that use fossil fuels. The results are from a cohort of 233 nonsmoking pregnant women in New York City starting in the third trimester of pregnancy. The mothers and children have been followed since then, and the behavioral testing was done when the children reached 9 years of age. This study builds on the Center’s past findings linking prenatal PAH exposure with other behavioral and cognitive issues in early childhood.

The CCCEH is jointly funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

For more information about Children’s Centers at EPA: NIEHS/EPA Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers (CEHCs)

More information about the EPA/NIEHS Columbia Children’s Center: Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health Exit

For the full article visit: ADHD-Air Pollution Link  Exit