Toxic Air and Troubled Minds: The Effect of In-utero Exposure to Air Pollution on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Christina Munkholm Andersen, Marius Opstrup Morthorst
We study the impact of in-utero exposure to air pollution on infant and mental health in a low-pollution setting. Identification relies on a sibling comparison to address concerns about endogenous exposure to pollution. We leverage high-resolution pollution data on PM2.5 linked to Danish administrative registers. In-utero exposure modestly reduces birth weight and length. It also increases the probability of an ADHD diagnosis in childhood, with effects concentrated in the third trimester and evident by age eight. We find evidence of an inflammatory response, as exposure increases the risk of pregnancy-related hypertension. Results highlight persistent impacts of early-life pollution exposure.
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Paper Keywords
air pollution, infant health, mental health