Air pollution exposure and social responsiveness in childhood: The cincinnati combined childhood cohorts

Nidhi Iyanna; Kimberly Yolton; Grace LeMasters; Bruce P Lanphear; Kim M Cecil; Joel Schwartz; Cole Brokamp; Erika Rasnick; Yingying Xu; Melinda C MacDougall; Patrick H Ryan

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114172

Air pollution exposure and social responsiveness in childhood: The cincinnati combined childhood cohorts

Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2023 Jun:251:114172. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114172. Epub 2023 Apr 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
² Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
³ Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁴ Child and Family Research Institute, BC Children's and Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁶ Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, USA.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁸ Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁹ Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Electronic address: patrick.ryan@cchmc.org.

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects about 1 in 44 children and environmental exposures may contribute to disease onset. Air pollution has been associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, yet little research has examined its association with autistic-like behaviors. Therefore, our objective was to examine the association between exposure to air pollution, including NO₂ and PM_2.5, during pregnancy and the first year of life to ASD-like behaviors during childhood. Participants (n = 435) enrolled in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study and the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study were included in the analysis. Daily exposures to NO₂ and PM_2.5 at the residential addresses of participants were estimated using validated spatiotemporal models and averaged to obtain prenatal and first year exposure estimates. ASD-like behaviors were assessed via the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) questionnaire at age 12. Linear regression models adjusting for confounders were applied to estimate the association between pollutants and SRS scores. After adjusting for covariates, the association between NO₂ and PM_2.5 and SRS scores remained positive but were no longer statistically significant. Prenatal and first year exposure to NO₂ were associated with total SRS T-scores with an estimated 0.4 point increase (95% CI: -0.7, 1.6) per 5.2 ppb increase in NO₂ exposure and 0.7 point (95% CI: -0.3, 1.6) per 4.2 ppb increase in NO₂ exposure, respectively. For PM_2.5, a 2.6 μg/m³ increase in prenatal exposure was associated with a 0.1 point increase (95% CI: -1.1, 1.4) in SRS Total T-scores and a 1.3 μg/m³ increase first year of life was associated with a 1 point increase (95% CI: -0.2, 2.3). In summary, exposure to NO₂ and PM_2.5 during pregnancy and the first year of life were not significantly associated with higher autistic-like behaviors measured with SRS scores after adjustment of covariates. Additional research is warranted given prior studies suggesting air pollution contributes to ASD.

Keywords: Air pollution; Autism spectrum disorder; Fine particulate matter; Nitrogen dioxide; Social responsiveness scale.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / epidemiology
Child
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Female
Humans
Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Pregnancy

Substances

Nitrogen Dioxide
Particulate Matter
Air Pollutants

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

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