A study conducted by The Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, and funded by Public Health, noted that British children with intellectual disabilities are more exposed than the rest of their fellow students to areas with high pollution in the environment (Emerson, Robertson, Hatton and Baines, 2018).
The analysis of the results obtained by the study, which involved 18,000 children from all over the United Kingdom, born between the years 2000 and 2002, showed that minors with intellectual disabilities live in areas with greater pollution in the air and the environment in general.
Find out more about this study and the relationship between intellectual disabilities and air pollution .
What are intellectual disabilities?
Intellectual disabilities make learning difficult for children who possess them, making matters as common as talking a somewhat more complex task. For this reason, individuals affected by intellectual disabilities are only capable of developing their full potential and abilities through specialized help and learning methods designed especially for them, with the limitations that this may entail for their daily lives.
Relationship between pollution and intellectual disabilities
According to this study, children with intellectual disabilities were more likely to live in areas with the following polluting particles:
- 30% more likely to live in areas with high levels of diesel particulate matter.
- 30% more likely to live in areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide.
- 30% more likely to live in areas with high levels of carbon monoxide.
- 17% more likely to live in areas with high levels of sulfur dioxide.
It was also shown that it is common in socioeconomically disadvantaged children to have an intellectual disability due to the environment to which the mother was exposed before giving birth or after giving birth.
It should also be borne in mind that adults and children with intellectual disabilities in the UK do not have the access to health they require; reducing their years of life considerably.
conclusion
- People exposed to environmental pollution are more likely to suffer from intellectual disabilities, which cause behavioral and thinking limitations.
- The long-term effects of exposure to fine particles from automobile exhaust, industrial emitters, and other pollutants may be the main triggers for the increased risk of developing different intellectual disabilities.
- Socioeconomically disadvantaged children are more likely to be born with intellectual disabilities.
Therefore, this investigation can be the beginning of a chain of actions to solve the problem and improve the lifestyle of those affected.
References
E. Emerson, J. Robertson, C. Hatton, S. Baines. (2018). Risk of exposure to air pollution among British children with and without intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research . doi: 10.1111 / jir.12561
