Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution, Cognitive Development, and Labor Market Outcome

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-95
Author(s):  
Rashesh Shrestha

In this paper, I study the impact of early life exposure to air pollution caused by the 1997 Indonesian forest fires on cognitive ability, an important determinant of success in the labor market. To isolate the effect of pollution exposure, I use a difference-in-differences approach where exposure to pollution is determined by timing and region of birth. The results suggest that pollution lowered cognitive test score at age 8–9 years by 6 percent. I also estimate how this might translate into lost earnings on a different but comparable sample. The estimates suggest that natural disasters can reduce earnings by 5 to 8 percent by hampering cognitive ability. Lost earnings due to interrupted cognitive development could be an additional cost of exposure to air pollution.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (1) ◽  
pp. 3811
Author(s):  
Julia Heck ◽  
Jun Wu ◽  
Christina Lombardi ◽  
Travis Meyers ◽  
Michelle Wilhelm ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Reuben ◽  
Louise Arseneault ◽  
Andrew Beddows ◽  
Sean D. Beevers ◽  
Terrie E. Moffitt ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 2000147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Gehring ◽  
Alet H. Wijga ◽  
Gerard H. Koppelman ◽  
Judith M. Vonk ◽  
Henriette A. Smit ◽  
...  

BackgroundAir pollution is associated with asthma development in children and adults, but the impact on asthma development during the transition from adolescence to adulthood is unclear. Adult studies lack historical exposures and consequently cannot assess the relevance of exposure during different periods of life. We assessed the relevance of early-life and more recent air pollution exposure for asthma development from birth until early adulthood.MethodsWe used data of 3687 participants of the prospective Dutch PIAMA (Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy) birth cohort and linked asthma incidence until age 20 years to estimated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with a diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), and 2.5–10 μm, and PM2.5 absorbance (“soot”) at the residential address. We assessed overall and age-specific associations with air pollution exposure with discrete time-hazard models, adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsOverall, we found higher incidence of asthma until the age of 20 years with higher exposure to all pollutants at the birth address (adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) ranging from 1.09 (1.01–1.18) for PM10 to 1.20 (1.10–1.32) for NO2) per interquartile range increase) that were rather persistent with age. Similar associations were observed with more recent exposure defined as exposure at the current home address. In two-pollutant models with particulate matter, associations with NO2 persisted.ConclusionsExposure to air pollution, especially from motorised traffic, early in life may have long-term consequences for asthma development, as it is associated with an increased risk of developing asthma through childhood and adolescence into early adulthood.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 554
Author(s):  
Barbora Blazkova ◽  
Anna Pastorkova ◽  
Ivo Solansky ◽  
Milos Veleminsky ◽  
Milos Veleminsky ◽  
...  

Background and objectives: The impact of cesarean and vaginal delivery on cognitive development was analyzed in 5 year old children. Materials and Methods: Two cohorts of 5 year old children born in the years 2013 and 2014 in Karvina (Northern Moravia) and Ceske Budejovice (Southern Bohemia) were studied for their cognitive development related to vaginal (n = 117) and cesarean types of delivery (n = 51). The Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BG test) and the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM test) were used as psychological tests. Results: In the comparison of vaginal delivery vs. cesarean section, the children delivered by cesarean section scored lower and, therefore, achieved poorer performance in cognitive tests compared to those born by vaginal delivery, as shown in the RCPM (p < 0.001) and in the BG test (p < 0.001). When mothers’ education level was considered, the children whose mothers achieved a university degree scored higher in both the RCPM test (p < 0.001) and the BG test (p < 0.01) compared to the children of mothers with lower secondary education. When comparing mothers with a university degree to those with higher secondary education, there was a significant correlation between level of education and score achieved in the RCPM test (p < 0.001), but not in the BG test. Conclusions: According to our findings, the mode of delivery seems to have a significant influence on performance in psychological cognitive tests in 5 year old children in favor of those who were born by vaginal delivery. Since cesarean-born children scored notably below vaginally born children, it appears possible that cesarean delivery may have a convincingly adverse effect on children’s further cognitive development.


2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 1278-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Thompson ◽  
Lisa M. Miles ◽  
Joanne Lunn ◽  
Graham Devereux ◽  
Rebecca J. Dearman ◽  
...  

The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the influence of early life exposure (maternal and childhood) to peanuts and the subsequent development of sensitisation or allergy to peanuts during childhood. Studies were identified using electronic databases and bibliography searches. Studies that assessed the impact of non-avoidance compared with avoidance or reduced quantities of peanuts or peanut products on either sensitisation or allergy to peanuts, or both outcomes, were eligible. Six human studies were identified: two randomised controlled trials, two case–control studies and two cross-sectional studies. In addition, published animal and mechanistic studies, relevant to the question of whether early life exposure to peanuts affects the subsequent development of peanut sensitisation, were reviewed narratively. Overall, the evidence reviewed was heterogeneous, and was limited in quality, for example, through lack of adjustment for potentially confounding factors. The nature of the evidence has therefore hindered the development of definitive conclusions. The systematic review of human studies and narrative expert-led reviews of animal studies do not provide clear evidence to suggest that either maternal exposure, or early or delayed introduction of peanuts in the diets of children, has an impact upon subsequent development of sensitisation or allergy to peanuts. Results from some animal studies (and limited evidence from human subjects) suggest that the dose of peanuts is an important mediator of peanut sensitisation and tolerance; low doses tend to lead to sensitisation and higher doses tend to lead to tolerance.


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