DAVE ROSS

Unique form of ADHD could be caused by pollution

Mar 25, 2015, 11:53 AM | Updated: 2:42 pm

The effects of pollution on children’s brains could be irreversible. (AP)...

The effects of pollution on children's brains could be irreversible. (AP)

(AP)

A study released Wednesday shows that a significant amount of ADHD we’re seeing in children today could come from air pollution.

The apparent culprit is a class of compounds called P-A-H (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that’s produced by burning any organic material: cigarettes, gas stoves, cars, and even barbequed meat. The study is published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Dr. Bradley Peterson from Los Angeles Children’s Hospital worked on a study involving 620 children in upper Manhattan who have been tracked for symptoms since before they were born. According to Peterson, brain scans over time found physical changes directly tied to the amount of pollution in neighborhoods where the children’s mothers lived when they were pregnant.

“The kids who had the biggest brain abnormalities – had a lot of symptoms of ADHD – they tend to leap before they look, act before they think,” Peterson said. “They also had slow processing speeds; even if they get the right answer, it took a while to get there.”

The pollution appears to affect not the gray matter in the brain, where information is stored, but the white matter. White matter allows brain regions to communicate with each other.

The effects of pollution on children’s brains is irreversible, Peterson said. Because, “this is a consequence of the impact of the environment on how the architecture of the brain is put together.”

The study suggests pollution causes a unique form of ADHA. It’s a reasonable hypothesis that the increase in air pollution is contributing to AHDA, Peterson said.

So what do you do if you’re pregnant?

“Certainly don’t smoke tobacco and avoid second hand smoke,” Peterson said. “Don’t follow in the path of diesel fuel trucks.”

Basically, don’t get stuck in traffic.

“The difficulty is people can’t change where they live or work easily,” Peterson said.

He said the issue needs to be tackled at the policy level. Those changes in policy will have a huge impact on brains of developing children.

Dr. Peterson said that he is generally anti-regulation, but considering these findings, air pollution is one area where there is no good alternative but to impose limits.

However, there is a narrow window where pollution is the most harmful.

“It has to be in pregnancy – we believe – and early childhood,” Peterson said. Future studies will show whether pollution effects the brain later on in life.

MyNorthwest’s Kipp Roberston contributed to this report.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to dave rossTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

Dave Ross

drivers data insurance...

Dave Ross

Ross: As cars release driving data to insurance, is your driving my business?

Every move you make, every swerve you take, every lane change you fake – someone’s watching you. Do drivers have a right to keep driving data private?

14 hours ago

rent control...

Dave Ross

Ross: Rent control was never the answer in Wash.

The rent control bill died in the Washington State Legislature this week, even though Democrats control both houses.

21 days ago

end of democracy...

Dave Ross

Ross: Conservative activist earns applause for pledging an ‘end of Democracy’

The theme from Jack Posobiec's speech is that Jan. 6 was a righteous attack not on democracy, but on those who threaten democracy.

22 days ago

Image: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, is seen on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo: Alex Brand...

Dave Ross

Ross: Voters can help cull bad politicians from the herd early

Let's remember that just about every occupant of a higher office once occupied a lower office, and was put there by us, Dave Ross says.

29 days ago

Super Bowl celebration...

Dave Ross

Ross: The NFL does it again

The NFL once again put on a show that was able to keep me tuned in for four hours even though I had no stake in either team.

1 month ago

social media...

Dave Ross

Ross: Is the Wild West of social media over after Senate hearing?

The original social media business model was genius -- get ordinary people to create content for free, sell ads and give the content creators a cut.

2 months ago

Unique form of ADHD could be caused by pollution