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Researchers at the Columbia Center
for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public
Health in New York say polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are chemicals
released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or
other organic substances such as tobacco.
In cities, motor vehicles are a
major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the researchers say.
The study, published in the August
issue of Pediatrics, finds that children exposed to high levels of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in New York had full scale and verbal
IQ scores that were 4.31 and 4.67 points lower, respectively, than those
of less exposed children. High polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels
were defined as above the median of 2.26 nanograms per cubic meter.
"These findings are of concern
because these decreases in IQ could be educationally meaningful in terms
of school performance," lead author Frederica Perera says in a
statement. "The good news is that we have seen a decline in air
pollution exposure in our cohort since 1998."
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