Prenatal air pollution, maternal immune activation, and autism spectrum disorder

Xin Yu; Md Mostafijur Rahman; Sarah A. Carter; Jane C. Lin; Zimin Zhuang; Ting Chow; Frederick W. Lurmann; Michael J. Kleeman; Mayra P. Martinez; Aaron van Donkelaar; Randall V. Martin; Sandrah P. Eckel; Zhanghua Chen; Pat Levitt; Joel Schwartz; Daniel Hackman; Jiu-Chiuan Chen; Rob McConnell; Anny H. Xiang

Environment International (Sep 2023)

Prenatal air pollution, maternal immune activation, and autism spectrum disorder

Xin Yu,
Md Mostafijur Rahman,
Sarah A. Carter,
Jane C. Lin,
Zimin Zhuang,
Ting Chow,
Frederick W. Lurmann,
Michael J. Kleeman,
Mayra P. Martinez,
Aaron van Donkelaar,
Randall V. Martin,
Sandrah P. Eckel,
Zhanghua Chen,
Pat Levitt,
Joel Schwartz,
Daniel Hackman,
Jiu-Chiuan Chen,
Rob McConnell,
Anny H. Xiang

Affiliations

Xin Yu: Spatial Science Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Md Mostafijur Rahman: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, USA
Sarah A. Carter: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
Jane C. Lin: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
Zimin Zhuang: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
Ting Chow: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
Frederick W. Lurmann: Sonoma Technology, Inc., Petaluma, CA, USA
Michael J. Kleeman: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA,USA
Mayra P. Martinez: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
Aaron van Donkelaar: Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Randall V. Martin: Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Sandrah P. Eckel: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Zhanghua Chen: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Pat Levitt: Department of Pediatrics and Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Keck School of Medicine, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Joel Schwartz: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Daniel Hackman: USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Jiu-Chiuan Chen: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Rob McConnell: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Anny H. Xiang: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA; Corresponding author at: Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, 100 S Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 179
p. 108148

Abstract

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Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) risk is highly heritable, with potential additional non-genetic factors, such as prenatal exposure to ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and maternal immune activation (MIA) conditions. Because these exposures may share common biological effect pathways, we hypothesized that synergistic associations of prenatal air pollution and MIA-related conditions would increase ASD risk in children. Objectives: This study examined interactions between MIA-related conditions and prenatal PM2.5 or major PM2.5 components on ASD risk. Methods: In a population-based pregnancy cohort of children born between 2001 and 2014 in Southern California, 318,751 mother–child pairs were followed through electronic medical records (EMR); 4,559 children were diagnosed with ASD before age 5. Four broad categories of MIA-related conditions were classified, including infection, hypertension, maternal asthma, and autoimmune conditions. Average exposures to PM2.5 and four PM2.5 components, black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), nitrate (NO3–), and sulfate (SO42-), were estimated at maternal residential addresses during pregnancy. We estimated the ASD risk associated with MIA-related conditions, air pollution, and their interactions, using Cox regression models to adjust for covariates. Results: ASD risk was associated with MIA-related conditions [infection (hazard ratio 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.18), hypertension (1.30; 1.19–1.42), maternal asthma (1.22; 1.08–1.38), autoimmune disease (1.19; 1.09–1.30)], with higher pregnancy PM2.5 [1.07; 1.03–1.12 per interquartile (3.73 μg/m3) increase] and with all four PM2.5 components. However, there were no interactions of each category of MIA-related conditions with PM2.5 or its components on either multiplicative or additive scales. Conclusions: MIA-related conditions and pregnancy PM2.5 were independently associations with ASD risk. There were no statistically significant interactions of MIA conditions and prenatal PM2.5 exposure with ASD risk.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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