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Publications

Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Ppublish 21 citations

PubMed: 36623380 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107736

Prenatal exposure to tailpipe and non-tailpipe tracers of particulate matter pollution and autism spectrum disorders.

Environ Int 171:107736

Authors: Md Mostafijur Rahman, Sarah A Carter, Jane C Lin, Ting Chow, Xin Yu, Mayra P Martinez, Pat Levitt, Zhanghua Chen, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, Daniel Rud, Juan Pablo Lewinger, Sandrah P Eckel, Joel Schwartz, Frederick W Lurmann, Michael J Kleeman, Rob McConnell, Anny H Xiang

Affiliations

  • Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
  • Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA.
  • Spatial Science Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
  • Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
  • Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
  • Sonoma Technology, Inc, Petaluma, CA, USA.
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
  • Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Traffic-related air pollution exposure is associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is unknown whether carbonaceous material from vehicular tailpipe emissions or redox-active non-tailpipe metals, eg. from tire and brake wear, are responsible. We assessed ASD associations with fine particulate matter (PM) tracers of tailpipe (elemental carbon [EC] and organic carbon [OC]) and non-tailpipe (copper [Cu]; iron [Fe] and manganese [Mn]) sources during pregnancy in a large cohort.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 318,750 children born in Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) hospitals during 2001-2014, followed until age 5. ASD cases were identified by ICD codes. Monthly estimates of PM and PM constituents EC, OC, Cu, Fe, and Mn with 4 km spatial resolution were obtained from a source-oriented chemical transport model. These exposures and NO were assigned to each maternal address during pregnancy, and associations with ASD were assessed using Cox regression models adjusted for covariates. PM constituent effect estimates were adjusted for PM and NO to assess independent effects. To distinguish ASD risk associated with non-tailpipe from tailpipe sources, the associations with Cu, Fe, and Mn were adjusted for EC and OC, and vice versa.

RESULTS

There were 4559 children diagnosed with ASD. In single-pollutant models, increased ASD risk was associated with gestational exposures to tracers of both tailpipe and non-tailpipe emissions. The ASD hazard ratios (HRs) per inter-quartile increment of exposure) for EC, OC, Cu, Fe, and Mn were 1.11 (95% CI: 1.06-1.16), 1.09 (95% CI: 1.04-1.15), 1.09 (95% CI: 1.04-1.13), 1.14 (95% CI: 1.09-1.20), and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.12-1.22), respectively. Estimated effects of Cu, Fe, and Mn (reflecting non-tailpipe sources) were largely unchanged in two-pollutant models adjusting for PM, NO, EC or OC. In contrast, ASD associations with EC and OC were markedly attenuated by adjustment for non-tailpipe sources.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that non-tailpipe emissions may contribute to ASD. Implications are that reducing tailpipe emissions, especially from vehicles with internal combustion engines, may not eliminate ASD associations with traffic-related air pollution.

MeSH

Pregnancy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Environmental Pollutants, Air Pollution, Autistic Disorder, Air, Environmental Pollution, Environmental Health, Particulate Matter, Child

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