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London: A study conducted in the United Kingdom reveals that exposure to outdoor air pollution can increase the risk of intellectual disability in children.
The study, published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, found that British children with intellectual disabilities were more likely than their peers to live in areas heavily polluted by outdoor air.
"We know that people with intellectual disabilities in the UK are in poorer health and die sooner than they should," said Eric Emerson of the University of Sydney in Australia.
"This research adds another piece to the puzzle of understanding why this is the case and what to do about it," Emerson said.
The results come from an analysis of data from the United Kingdom's Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of more than 18,000 children born between 2000 and 2002.
On average, all ages, children with mental disabilities were 33% more likely to live in areas rich in diesel particles and 30% more likely to live in areas rich in nitrogen dioxide.
They were 30% more likely to live in areas rich in carbon monoxide and 17% more likely to live in areas rich in sulfur dioxide.
Researchers, including those at Lancaster University in the UK, note that intellectual disability is more common among children living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, where levels of air pollution are generally higher.
However, exposure to outdoor air pollution can hinder cognitive development, thus increasing the risk of intellectual disability.
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