Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 2023 Dec;65(8):e22440. doi: 10.1002/dev.22440.
Air pollution is recognized as a major public health concern. The number of deaths related to ambient air pollution has increased in recent years and is projected to continue rising. Additionally, both short- and long-term air pollution exposure has been linked with deleterious effects on neurocognitive function and development. While air pollution poses as a threat to everyone, people of color and individuals of lower socioeconomic status are often exposed to elevated levels of air pollution as a function of systemic racism and classism. Further, given additional disparities in access to healthcare and other compounding stressors, adverse effects of air pollution on neurocognitive health are exacerbated among individuals who hold marginalized identities-making effects both less likely to be detected and treated. This review examines evidence of the effects of air pollution on neurocognitive development across the lifespan and incorporates an environmental justice perspective to highlight disparities in air pollution exposure across race and socioeconomic status. Last, upon the reviewed evidence, limitations of past research and recommendations for policy are discussed.
空气污染被公认为一个主要的公共卫生问题。近年来，与环境空气污染相关的死亡人数有所增加，预计还将继续上升。此外，短期和长期的空气污染暴露都与神经认知功能和发育的有害影响有关。虽然空气污染对每个人都构成威胁，但由于系统性种族主义和阶级主义，有色人种和社会经济地位较低的人往往会暴露在更高水平的空气污染中。此外，由于在获得医疗保健和其他加剧压力的因素方面存在更多差异，空气污染对神经认知健康的不利影响在那些身份边缘化的人群中更为严重，这使得这些影响更不容易被发现和治疗。本综述考察了空气污染对整个生命周期中神经认知发育的影响的证据，并纳入了环境公正的观点，以突出在种族和社会经济地位方面的空气污染暴露的差异。最后，根据所审查的证据，讨论了过去研究的局限性和政策建议。
