The quality of the air in your neighbourhood could be affecting your child's memory and attentiveness, according to new research.
A twelve-month study of 2,715 primary school students in 39 Spanish schools showed that children who lived in areas where the air was cleaner air improved their working memory by 11.5% during the year, compared to 7.4% at schools in areas where pollution is an issue.
As well as causing asthma and various other breathing issues, neurotoxicants in the air can cause low-grade inflammation of the brain, which in turn affects brain development. Neurotoxicants have also been linked with autism.
The researchers, from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, said the findings suggest that the developing brain may be "vulnerable to traffic-related air pollution well into middle childhood."
In Ireland, the EPA monitors the air quality for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and ozone. The latest results show that Ireland's air quality is good compared to other EU member states, although in Dublin and Cork emissions from traffic have resulted in levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter that are approaching the specified EU limit values.
