Peer-reviewed article
Child neurodevelopment is related to maternal manganese exposure: A Taiwan national prospective cohort study.
Ping Shih, Chih-Da Wu, Shih-Chun Pan, Aji Kusumaning Asri, Tung-Liang Chiang et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined whether prenatal exposure to manganese air pollution affects early childhood development in Taiwan. Researchers followed over 17,000 children born in 2005 and measured their developmental milestones at 6 and 18 months of age. Higher manganese exposure during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with modest delays in motor skills, language, and social development. The associations were found after accounting for other air pollutants and family factors.
Key points
- Each 1 ng/m³ increase in second-trimester manganese exposure was associated with higher odds of delayed gross motor skills (walking with support: aOR = 1.028)
- Fine motor skill delays (drawing arbitrarily) showed the strongest association with manganese exposure (aOR = 1.081)
- Language milestones including waving goodbye (aOR = 1.048) and calling a parent meaningfully (aOR = 1.050) were delayed with higher manganese exposure
- Social interaction milestone (drinking with both hands) was also delayed with higher exposure (aOR = 1.045)
- Mid-gestation (second trimester) showed more consistent associations with developmental delays than other pregnancy periods
Limitations
This is an observational study that shows association but cannot prove that manganese exposure directly causes developmental delays; unmeasured confounding factors or exposure measurement error could affect results. The study was conducted in Taiwan and may not generalise to other regions with different pollution patterns or populations.
Abstract
AIM: Prenatal exposure to air pollutants has been linked to developmental delays in early childhood. This study investigated the association between prenatal exposure to ambient manganese (Mn) and delays in achieving specific neurodevelopmental milestones. METHOD: Data were obtained from a nationwide population-based cohort study that recruited children born in 2005 and their mothers. Developmental outcomes were assessed by conducting home interviews at 6 and 18 months of age. Gestational exposure to ambient Mn was estimated using a land-use regression model enhanced with machine learning. Associations between Mn exposure and delayed milestone attainment were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for child, maternal, household factors, and co-exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. RESULTS: A total of 17,683 term singleton births without congenital anomalies were included. Mn exposure during mid-gestation showed more consistent associations with later attainment of selected developmental milestones. After adjustment for relevant covariates, each 1 ng/m³ increase in second-trimester Mn exposure was associated with higher odds of delayed gross motor, fine motor, language, and social milestones ("walking with support": adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.028; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.004-1.053), fine motor skills ("drawing arbitrarily": aOR = 1.081; 95% CI: 1.053-1.109), language milestones ("waving goodbye": aOR = 1.048; 95% CI: 1.022-1.075; "calling a parent meaningfully": aOR = 1.050; 95% CI: 1.021-1.080), and social interaction ("drinking with both hands": aOR = 1.045; 95% CI: 1.021-1.071). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest modest associations between prenatal ambient Mn exposure, particularly during mid-gestation, and early neurodevelopmental timing.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Prenatal exposure to ambient manganese air pollution and early childhood neurodevelopmental delays
- Intervention
- Exposure measurement and assessment of developmental milestones at 6 and 18 months; no intervention was tested
- Population
- 17,683 term singleton births without congenital anomalies born in Taiwan in 2005
Key finding
Second-trimester manganese exposure associated with delayed gross motor skills (walking with support: aOR = 1.028, 95% CI: 1.004-1.053)