Air pollution is a widely discussed issue across the globe, particularly in developed countries where given the access of advanced sampling techniques, a more critical analysis and understanding of air quality and environmental pollution is possible. We already know that air pollution is a majorly growing problem for us and for future generations, as it is slowly but surely increasing the levels of environmental contaminants and impacting the quality of life on earth. Now according to latest research, it may be more harmful than from what we originally perceived. Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have found that air pollution might be associated to rising incidence of ADHD among children.
The study suggests that for expecting mothers, exposure to air pollution before birth maybe the key to the problem. This was established after close examination of the prenatal levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). This is the same compound that is also found in children suffering from ADHD during the later stages of their life.
The study warns that mothers that were exposed to high PAH level during their pregnancies had five times greater risks of having kids suffering from inattentive ADHD at age 9. Te research is the first of its kind to look into the impact of prenatal PAH levels and its impact on children and their behavior development overtime. Although the study is at its initial stages and has been able to establish strong links between the two, it does not imply that exposure to pollution will cause ADHD among children for sure.
The study may however serve as the missing link in our quest to understand the reason for the unexplained increased in ADHD among children. Among the many sources of PAH, car exhaust and power plants account as the chief ones that are also linked to a host of respiratory diseases and heart conditions.
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