This commentary examines how prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution may contribute to the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Experimental work demonstrates that gestational exposure to air pollution and micro- and nanoplastics can induce neuroinflammation, synaptic disruption and autism- or attention-related phenotypes in rodents, supporting biological plausibility for pollutant-related NDD risk. Large-scale epidemiological studies have begun to link prenatal traffic-related pollutants with cognitive delay, behavioural difficulties and increased risk of ASD and ADHD, although most data come from Western cohorts. Against this backdrop, a nationwide South Korean cohort (>1.4 million births) reports that higher prenatal nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide exposure is associated with increased risk of clinically diagnosed NDDs into adolescence. These findings underscore prenatal air pollution as a modifiable, population-level risk factor for child mental health.
George Ayoub (Wed,) studied this question.