Research progress on the relationship between air pollutant exposure during early life and neurodevelopmental

disorders in children

生命早期空气污染物暴露与儿童神经发育障碍的研究进展

Author: JIANG Yanyan, TAO Fangbiao, TONG Juan

Source: Jourmal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine

DOI: 10.11836/JEOM23448

Abstract:

In recent years, the effects of air pollutants on the development of the central nervous system have received widespread attention. Early life is a critical period of rapid brain development, and exposure to air pollutants during this time may permanently alter brain function. This paper mainly reviews the epidemiological studies on the association between exposure to air pollutants during early life and children's neurodevelopment in recent years, focuses on outdoor air pollutants (e.g., PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NOx, CO) and indoor air pollutants (e.g., cooking oil fumes, tobacco, and mosquito incense smoke, formaldehyde from home decoration), and summarizes their possible biological mechanisms. Most studies indicate that pollutants at different periods and levels of exposure during pregnancy can negatively affect children's neurodevelopment and that there may be a dose-response relationship between certain air pollutants and children's neurodevelopment. Current research on the effects of indoor air pollutants on children's neurodevelopment focuses on exposure to tobacco smoke, while other indoor air pollutants such as grease, oil smoke, and organic compounds produced by interior decorative materials have been less well reported and their underlying biological mechanisms are not yet clear and further epidemiologic studies, animal and cellular experiments are needed to provide evidence of the neurodevelopmental toxicity of air pollutant exposure in the future. In order to provide theoretical basis for environmental eugenics and promote the healthy development of children.

Keywords: neurodevelopment; children; outdoor air pollution; indoor air pollution; early-life exposure

摘要：
近年来，空气污染物对儿童神经发育障碍的影响受到广泛关注。生命早期是大脑快速发育的关键时期，该时期暴露于空气污染物可能对大脑功能产生永久性改变。本文主要回顾了近年来国内外有关生命早期空气污染物暴露和儿童神经发育障碍之间关联的流行病学研究，重点讨论了生命早期室外空气污染物（如PM2.5、PM10、NOx、CO等）和室内空气污染物（如烹饪油烟、烟草和蚊香烟雾、家居装饰产生的甲醛）对儿童神经发育的影响，归纳了其背后可能的生物学机制。多数研究指出生命早期不同暴露时期和暴露水平的污染物会对儿童神经发育产生负面影响且某些空气污染物与儿童神经发育障碍之间可能存在剂量-反应关系。目前有关室内空气污染物对儿童神经发育障碍的研究集中于烟草烟雾暴露，其他室内空气污染物如油烟、室内装饰材料产生的有机化合物等报道较少且其潜在的生物学机制尚不明确。提示未来需要进一步的流行病学研究、动物和细胞实验为空气污染物暴露的神经发育毒性提供佐证，以期为环境优生学提供理论依据，促进儿童健康发展。

关键词：神经发育障碍；儿童；室外空气污染；室内空气污染；生命早期暴露