Nitrogen dioxide exposure, attentional function, and working memory in children from 4 to 8 years: Periods of susceptibility from pregnancy to childhood.

Background: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood has been linked to executive function impairment in children, however, very few studies have assessed these two exposure periods jointly to identify susceptible periods of exposure. We sought to identify potential periods of susceptibility of nitrogen dioxide (NO) exposure from conception to childhood on attentional function and working memory in school-aged children.

Methods: Within the Spanish INMA Project, we estimated residential daily NO exposures during pregnancy and up to 6 years of childhood using land use regression models (n = 1,703).