Air pollution may up risk of intellectual disability in kids: Study
Team Udayavani, Nov 22, 2018, 11:33 AM IST
London: Exposure to outdoor air pollution may increase the risk of intellectual disability in children, a study conducted in the UK has found.
The study, published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, found that British children with intellectual disabilities were more likely than their peers to live in areas with high outdoor air pollution.
“We know that people with intellectual disabilities in the UK have poorer health and die earlier than they should,” said Eric Emerson from the University of Sydney in Australia.
“This research adds another piece to the jigsaw of understanding why that is the case and what needs to be done about it,” Emerson said.
The findings come from an analysis of data extracted from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of over 18,000 children born between 2000 and 2002.
Averaging across ages, children with intellectual disabilities were 33 per cent more likely to live in areas with high levels of diesel particulate matter, and 30 per cent more likely to live in areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide.
They were 30 per cent more likely to live in areas with high levels of carbon monoxide, and 17 per cent more likely to live in areas with high levels of sulphur dioxide.
The researchers, including those from the Lancaster University in the UK, note that intellectual disability is more common among children living in more socio-economically deprived areas, which tend to have higher levels of air pollution.
However, exposure to outdoor air pollution may impede cognitive development, thereby increasing the risk of intellectual disability.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Weight loss could help one manage PCOS symptoms, study suggests
Risk of abnormal blood fat levels increased by about 30 pc during pandemic, finds study
Attention problems could be ‘middleman’ between genetic risk for, experiencing psychosis: Study
Meeting WHO’s sodium recommendations could avert deaths from heart, kidney disease: Study
Meeting WHO’s sodium recommendations could avert deaths from heart, kidney disease: Study
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Davanagere: Man murdered by relative for insurance money; 4 arrested within 24 hours
Heroin worth Rs 3.5 crore recovered in police raid in Delhi, 2 arrested
Govt clerk found dead in Tahsildar’s chamber, FIR filed against minister’s PA, 2 others
Treated Muslims like fuel for ‘lantern’: Prashant Kishor targets Lalu, asks upper castes to stay away from Nitish
MP Brijesh Chowta urges Kerala CM for strict action against attack on Edneer Swamiji’s vehicle
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.