Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Children’s Neurobehavioral Functions in Quanzhou, China

Abstract

ISEE-0914 Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the association between traffic-related air pollution exposure and its impacts of children’s neurobehavioral functions. Methods: A field study was conducted in Quanzhou, China where two primary schools were chosen based on traffic density and monitoring data of ambient air pollutants. School A was located in polluted area and School B in clear area. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM10 at campus and classroom were monitored as the indicators for traffic-related air pollution. A battery of manual and computerized neurobehavioral testing was administered to evaluate children’s neurobehavioral functions. Results: Median concentrations of NO2 in School A and School B campuses were 0.036 mg/m3 and 0.007 mg/m3, respectively (P < 0.05). The multivariate linear regression analyses showed that after controlling the potential confounding factors, children living in polluted area showed poorer performance on all tests, and the differences between 6 of 9 tests (66.7%) achieved statistical significance. They were Visual Simple Reaction Time with preferred hand and non-preferred hand, Continuous Performance, Digit Symbol, Aim Tracing and Sign Register, respectively. Conclusion: Chronic low-level exposure to traffic-related air pollution may have a negative impact on children’s neurobehavioral functions. More studies are needed to explore the potentially neurotoxic effects of traffic exhausts.