Pollutants from major roadways could cause developmental delays in kids

Children who live close to major roadways or who are born to mothers who were exposed to high levels of traffic-related pollutants during pregnancy are more susceptible to developmental delays, according to a new study. Looking at more than 5,000 children born between 2008-2010, researchers found that those kids who lived within 0.3 miles of a major roadway were more than twice as likely to fail a communications assessment of early development than those who lived more than half a mile away. Postnatal exposure to traffic pollutants was also linked to a higher risk of developmental delays than in kids who were exposed to the pollutants while in the womb. These findings are only associations, so the authors say that larger prospective studies are needed to tease out the effects of air pollutants.