April 9th, 2019
By Carmen George for The Fresno Bee
Children living near major roads are at a higher risk for developmental delays, according to a new study authored by a UC Merced assistant professor and other researchers.
It’s likely caused by traffic-related pollutants, although the study didn’t measure the source of air pollution, said Sandie Ha, assistant professor of epidemiology at UC Merced and the lead author of the study published in the journal Environmental Research.
The study shows young children living close to major roads are twice as likely to score lower on tests of communications skills, and children born to women exposed to higher levels of traffic-related pollutants during pregnancy have a small but significantly higher likelihood of developmental delays during infancy and early childhood.