Air pollution during the perinatal period and neurodevelopment in children: A national population study in Taiwan

To evaluate the association between ambient particulate matter no larger than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM_2.5 ) during the prenatal and postnatal periods and infant neurodevelopmental parameters.

We conducted a population-based birth cohort study using the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Participants were assessed for developmental conditions through home interviews at 6 months and 18 months of age. Exposure to PM_2.5 of mothers and infants during perinatal periods was estimated using hybrid kriging/land-use regression. The exposure was linked to each participant by home address. Logistic regression was then conducted to determine the risk of neurodevelopmental delay in relation to PM_2.5 .

A total of 17 683 term singletons without congenital malformations were included in the final analysis. PM_2.5 during the second trimester was associated with increased risks of delays in gross motor neurodevelopmental milestones (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09 per 10 μg/m³ increase in exposure to PM_2.5 ). Delayed fine motor development was also found to be related to exposure to PM_2.5 in the second and third trimesters (aOR 1.06), as was personal-social skill (aOR 1.11 for the second trimester and 1.06 for the third). These neurodevelopmental parameters were unrelated to postnatal PM_2.5 exposure.

Exposure to ambient PM_2.5 during pregnancy was significantly related to delay in gross motor, fine motor, and personal-social development in this population-based study.

Prenatal exposure to higher PM_2.5 was associated with increased risk of delayed early neurodevelopment. The critical period for delayed gross motor development was the second trimester. The critical period for fine motor and personal-social development was the second and third trimesters.