Pollution represents a danger which is transmitted from mother to child. American researchers have thus established that women who had been exposed to high levels of pollution during their pregnancy gave birth to children whose intelligence quotient (or IQ) is 4 points lower than the average. This study, carried out by scientists at a specialized center at Columbia University in the United States, was published in the journal Pediatrics and resumed by Time Magazine on Thursday.
The researchers took into account pollution linked to the incomplete combustion of oil or coal, a threat particularly present in urban areas where car traffic is high. According to their findings, this air pollution would in fact cause as much damage as high levels of toxic metals, such as lead for example.
American scientists have followed children over the long term since 1998. "What is surprising is that the effects of prenatal exposure are so persistent," said epidemiologist Kimberly Gray, interviewed by Time. "A difference of 4 points [on the IQ] could, from an educational point of view, have a very important impact on success in school," insists Frederica Perera, who coordinated this study.
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