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Exposure to local, source-specific ambient air pollution during pregnancy and autism in children : a cohort study from southern Sweden

Flanagan, Erin LU orcid ; Malmqvist, Ebba LU orcid ; Rittner, Ralf LU orcid ; Gustafsson, Peik LU orcid ; Källén, Karin LU and Oudin, Anna LU (2023) In Scientific Reports 13(1).
Abstract

Evidence of air pollution exposure, namely, ambient particulate matter (PM), during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children is growing; however, the unique PM sources that contribute to this association are currently unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate local, source-specific ambient PM exposure during pregnancy and its associations with childhood autism, specifically, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as a group. A cohort of 40,245 singleton births from 2000 to 2009 in Scania, Sweden, was combined with data on locally emitted PM with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5). A flat, two-dimensional dispersion model was used to assess local PM2.5 concentrations (all-source... (More)

Evidence of air pollution exposure, namely, ambient particulate matter (PM), during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children is growing; however, the unique PM sources that contribute to this association are currently unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate local, source-specific ambient PM exposure during pregnancy and its associations with childhood autism, specifically, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as a group. A cohort of 40,245 singleton births from 2000 to 2009 in Scania, Sweden, was combined with data on locally emitted PM with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5). A flat, two-dimensional dispersion model was used to assess local PM2.5 concentrations (all-source PM2.5, small-scale residential heating- mainly wood burning, tailpipe exhaust, and vehicle wear-and-tear) at the mother’s residential address during pregnancy. Associations were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Exposure to local PM2.5 during pregnancy from each of the investigated sources was associated with childhood autism in the fully adjusted models. For ASD, similar, but less pronounced, associations were found. The results add to existing evidence that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of childhood autism. Further, these findings suggest that locally produced emissions from both residential wood burning and road traffic-related sources (tailpipe exhaust and vehicle wear-and-tear) contribute to this association.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scientific Reports
volume
13
issue
1
article number
3848
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85149680727
  • pmid:36890287
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-023-30877-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
081e6fce-29cc-4628-abc8-f5a6083a2b27
date added to LUP
2023-04-21 10:52:38
date last changed
2024-06-16 04:40:48
@article{081e6fce-29cc-4628-abc8-f5a6083a2b27,
  abstract     = {{<p>Evidence of air pollution exposure, namely, ambient particulate matter (PM), during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children is growing; however, the unique PM sources that contribute to this association are currently unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate local, source-specific ambient PM exposure during pregnancy and its associations with childhood autism, specifically, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as a group. A cohort of 40,245 singleton births from 2000 to 2009 in Scania, Sweden, was combined with data on locally emitted PM with an aerodynamic diameter &lt; 2.5 µm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>). A flat, two-dimensional dispersion model was used to assess local PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentrations (all-source PM<sub>2.5</sub>, small-scale residential heating- mainly wood burning, tailpipe exhaust, and vehicle wear-and-tear) at the mother’s residential address during pregnancy. Associations were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Exposure to local PM<sub>2.5</sub> during pregnancy from each of the investigated sources was associated with childhood autism in the fully adjusted models. For ASD, similar, but less pronounced, associations were found. The results add to existing evidence that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of childhood autism. Further, these findings suggest that locally produced emissions from both residential wood burning and road traffic-related sources (tailpipe exhaust and vehicle wear-and-tear) contribute to this association.</p>}},
  author       = {{Flanagan, Erin and Malmqvist, Ebba and Rittner, Ralf and Gustafsson, Peik and Källén, Karin and Oudin, Anna}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{Exposure to local, source-specific ambient air pollution during pregnancy and autism in children : a cohort study from southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30877-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-023-30877-5}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}