Levels of exposure to outdoor air pollution among children with intellectual disabilities are significantly higher than those of children without intellectual disabilities, according to a study carried out by Lancaster University researchers.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution may be one of the pathways that contribute to the health inequities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities. Image credit: Ralf Vetterle.
“Exposure to outdoor air pollution is a well-established risk factor for a range of adverse health conditions,” said study senior author Professor Eric Emerson of the Lancaster University’s Division of Health Research and colleagues.
“No previous study has quantified the extent to which children with intellectual disability may be exposed to outdoor air pollution.”
Professor Emerson and co-authors analyzed data from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of over 18,000 UK children born 2000-2002.
Averaging across ages, children with intellectual disabilities were 33% more likely to live in areas with high levels of diesel particulate matter, 30% more likely to live in areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide, 30% more likely to live in areas with high levels of carbon monoxide, and 17% more likely to live in areas with high levels of sulfur dioxide.
“Intellectual disability is more common among children living in more socio-economically deprived areas, which tend to have higher levels of air pollution,” the study authors said.
“However, exposure to outdoor air pollution may impede cognitive development, thereby increasing the risk of intellectual disability.”
“We know that people with intellectual disabilities in the UK have poorer health and die earlier than they should,” Professor Emerson said.
“This research adds another piece to the jigsaw of understanding why that is the case and what needs to be done about it.”
The findings appear in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.
_____
E. Emerson et al. Risk of exposure to air pollution among British children with and without intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, published online November 20, 2018; doi: 10.1111/jir.12561
