Ambient Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Developmental Delay in Children and Teenagers in Taiwan

(1) Background: Studies on the association between air pollution and developmental delay in children are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the risk of developmental delay in Taiwanese children exposed to air pollution. (2) Methods: We merged the two nationwide databases, and the annual average pollut...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere 2021-08, Vol.12 (8), p.1039
Main Authors: Chen, Hung-Lin, Zhang, Ruihong, Tsai, Stella Chin-Shaw, Chou, Ruey-Hwang, Hsu, Yi-Chao, Fan, Hueng-Chuen, Muo, Chih-Hsin, Hsu, Chung Y., Chang, Kuang-Hsi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acute upper respiratory infections
Adolescents
Age
Air monitoring
Air pollution
Air quality
ambient air pollution exposure
Birth weight
Carbon monoxide
Children
Confidence intervals
Delay
developmental delay
Environmental protection
Exposure
Hospitals
Locations (working)
Monitoring systems
nationwide databases
Neighborhoods
Nitrogen dioxide
Personal information
Pollutants
Premature birth
Residential location
Risk assessment
Sulfur dioxide
Tourette syndrome
Urbanization
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Summary:(1) Background: Studies on the association between air pollution and developmental delay in children are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the risk of developmental delay in Taiwanese children exposed to air pollution. (2) Methods: We merged the two nationwide databases, and the annual average pollutant concentrations were grouped into tertiles to evaluate the risk of developmental delay (ICD-9 code 315.9). We identified the patients’ active residential locations based on the location of the clinic or hospital in which they sought treatment for acute upper respiratory infections (ICD 9 code 460). The two nationwide databases were linked for analysis based on the active residential locations of each participant and the locations of the 74 ambient air quality monitoring stations. (3) Results: We observed an increased risk of developmental delay in children and teenagers exposed to SO2, CO, and NO2. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of developmental delay for comparison among the tertiles with respect to SO2, CO, and NO2 exposures were 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.24), 1.21 (95% CI, 1.09–1.34), and 1.40 (95% CI, 1.261.55), respectively. (4) Conclusions: The present findings suggest that air pollution exposure increases the risk of developmental delay in children and teenagers in Taiwan.
ISSN:2073-4433
2073-4433
DOI:10.3390/atmos12081039