Although the prenatal stage is a critical period for brain development, very few studies have focused on the effects of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy on child cognition. A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre promoted by the La Caixa Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, reveals that prenatal exposure to pollution is associated with lower cognitive performance in newborns. These results underscore the importance of reducing exposure to air pollution, particularly during pregnancy, to protect neurodevelopment.
Professor Joan Birulés, from the Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology at the UB's Faculty of Psychology, played a prominent role in the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Pollution .
The study includes data from 168 mother-child pairs participating in the Barcelona Life Study Cohort (BiSC) project, carried out in Barcelona between 2018 and 2023. Total exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon (BC), particulate matter (PM2.5) and the copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) content of PM2.5 during pregnancy was assessed using advanced models that combined pollution estimates with time-activity information in homes, workplaces and during commutes.
"The results indicate that the prenatal period represents a critical window of vulnerability to environmental exposures and reinforce the need for stricter environmental policies and specific measures to protect the health of pregnant women and children," notes Professor Birulés.
