Gas-Powered Vehicle Emissions Linked to Higher Rates of Cognitive Impairment in Children

 

A recent cohort study published in PLOS Medicine has linked tailpipe emissions to higher rates of autism and impaired cognitive development.

 

The study, conducted by a group of Spanish researchers, periodically examined memory skills and attentiveness among nearly 3,000 children across 39 schools exposed to traffic-related air pollution in Barcelona over the course of 12 months.

 

The results of the study showed that schoolchildren exposed to high levels of traff-related air pollution experienced a smaller improvement in cognitive development when compared to their peers at lowly polluted institutions.

 

More research would be needed to make the argument that gasoline vehicle emissions have a diurect impact on adolsescent brains. However, these findings have a significant impact in the ongoing battle between electric and gas burning vehicles.

 

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