Factors affecting child's intelligence

New study by researches of Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH), have proved that the toxic combination of air pollution and poverty could lower the intelligence quotient (IQ) of a kid. It was conducted at Mailman School of Public Health and published in journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.

For the study, the scientists examined 276 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through early childhood. Children of mothers who reported greater material hardship, and were exposed to high levels of PAH during pregnancy scored lower on tests of full scale IQ, perceptual reasoning, and working memory.

"The findings support policy interventions to reduce air pollution exposure in urban areas as well as programs to screen women early in pregnancy to identify those in need of psychological or material support," says Perera, senior author of the paper.

PAH are ever-present in the environment from emissions from motor vehicles, oil, and coal-burning for home heating and power generation, tobacco smoke, and other combustion sources. Material hardship is a measure used to assess an individual’s unmet basic needs with regard to food, clothing, and housing.

By Lizitha