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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.

Sec. Children and Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1561476

This article is part of the Research Topic The Impact of Climate and Environmental Change on Epigenetics and Pediatric Health View all 4 articles

Independent and Combined Effects of Fine Particulate Matter and Greenness on Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms: Investigating Sensitive Periods of Exposure in the Early Two Years of Life

Provisionally accepted
Xiyue Xiong Xiyue Xiong 1*Yi Liu Yi Liu 1Wensu Zhou Wensu Zhou 2,3Meng Liu Meng Liu 1Yichao Wang Yichao Wang 1Shu Chen Shu Chen 1*
  • 1 Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
  • 2 Department of Maternal and Child Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
  • 3 School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: The impact of exposure to fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm, PM2.5) and greenness during early two year of life on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms, especially under the combined influence of the two factors, and the sensitive periods of exposure during the early life, remain underexplored.Objective: This cross-sectional study recruited 108 children with ASD and aimed to quantify the independent and combined effects of PM2.5 and greenness exposure on ASD symptoms during the first two years of life.Methods: We collected PM2.5 levels and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values to reflect PM2.5 exposure and greenness levels, meanwhile, assessing ASD symptoms with the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and its sub-scales (sensory, relating, stereotypic behavior, language, and social independence) scores. We identified six sensitive exposure periods: 6 months, 7-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months after birth, and the first and second years after birth. We investigated the independent effects of PM2.5 and greenness on ASD symptoms using multiple linear or logistic regression for continuous or categorical symptom scores, and explored their additive interaction and mediation effects. Results: Multiple linear models showed reduced total ABC, relating, and social independence scores with greenness exposure at 19-24 months after birth, while 7-12 months and first year exposures benefited social independence. Logistic models showed that PM2.5 exposures during 13-18 months after birth increased symptoms of stereotypic behavior, while low greenness exposure during 19-24 months after birth heightened the risk of social independence impairment. We found high levels of PM2.5 and low greenness during the 13-18 months after birth increased the risk of overall severity.Greenness exposure during 6 months after birth could mitigate the effects of PM2.5 exposures during 13-18 months. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of reducing air pollution and enhancing greenness to mitigate ASD symptoms.

    Keywords: Air Pollution, Greenness, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Symptoms, Child Health

    Received: 16 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xiong, Liu, Zhou, Liu, Wang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiyue Xiong, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
    Shu Chen, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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