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Single and combined effects of prenatal exposure to air pollutants on children's cognitive performance

Sharanpreet Kaur1, Josefa Canals-Sans2, Carmen Hernández-Martínez3

  • 1Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Spain; Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Department of Psychology, Tarragona, Spain.

Environmental Research
|May 31, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to air pollution is linked to lower cognitive abilities in children, especially when exposure occurs in late pregnancy. This highlights critical developmental windows during gestation.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to air pollution is a growing concern for child cognitive development and health.
  • This study investigates the link between prenatal air pollutants and cognitive outcomes in children of different ages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore associations between prenatal air pollutant exposure and cognitive performance in preschool and school-aged children.
  • To identify sensitive prenatal exposure windows and assess combined pollutant effects.

Main Methods:

  • 781 children (4-5 and 10-11 years) from the EPINED project in Tarragona, Spain, were assessed.
  • Cognitive performance measured using WPPSI-IV and WISC-IV.
  • Linear distributed lag and weighted quantile sum regression models were used, adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers exposed to PM2.5, PM10, NOx, and NO2 showed lower fluid reasoning, working memory, and full-scale IQ.
  • School-aged children exhibited reduced verbal comprehension and full-scale IQ with pollutant exposure.
  • Third trimester exposure showed stronger associations; the second trimester was critical for verbal comprehension in older children.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal air pollution exposure, especially in late pregnancy, is associated with diminished cognitive performance and IQ.
  • Specific gestational windows, like the second and third trimesters, are critical periods of vulnerability for fetal brain development.
Abstract

Keywords:
Air pollutionChildrenCognitive performancePregnancyPrenatal

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