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Multigenerational exposures to polluting industries and developmental disabilities
Sara E Grineski1, Kevin Ramos2, Roger Renteria1
1University of Utah, Department of Sociology, 380 S. 1530 E., Rm. 301, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 14, 2025
Summary
Environmental pollution exposure during pregnancy in grandmothers may increase intellectual disability (ID) risk in grandchildren. This ancestral exposure, particularly maternal, highlights potential multigenerational impacts of industrial pollution on child development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Reproductive Health
- Developmental Toxicology
Background:
- Animal studies indicate environmental exposures can affect subsequent generations.
- Human epidemiological data on multigenerational environmental exposures, especially parental, are limited.
- Understanding ancestral environmental impacts is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ancestral exposure to industrial pollution and intellectual disability (ID) risk in offspring (F2).
- To examine multigenerational effects, focusing on maternal and paternal exposures during the F0 (grandmother) pregnancy.
- To assess the impact of proximity and risk-weighted density of polluting facilities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a unique Utah (USA) dataset of 6,380 offspring (F2).
- Geocoded historical industrial facility locations and calculated densities within 3km and 5km of grandmothers' (F0) residences during their pregnancies with the parents (F1).
- Weighted facility densities using national health risk scores and analyzed associations with offspring ID.
Main Results:
- Increased density of facilities near the pregnant maternal grandmother (F0) was associated with higher odds of ID in offspring (F2).
- Risk-weighted facility density near the maternal grandmother showed significant associations with increased ID odds.
- Associations with paternal grandmother's exposure were weaker but present, particularly with risk-weighted density at 5km.
Conclusions:
- Ancestral environmental exposures, especially from the maternal lineage during pregnancy, may elevate the risk of developmental disabilities in the next generation.
- Findings suggest potential transgenerational effects of industrial pollution on neurodevelopment.
- Highlights the importance of considering historical environmental exposures in epidemiological studies of child development.
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