Abstract:
In the globalized world, the contemporary efforts towards economic growth and rapid industrialization has increased, the risk of pollution related diseases particularly in those residing in the urban slums has become profound. The increase in traffic has led to an increase in the concentration of hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Concentration of pollutants in the air can affect both the environment and the human health. Chemicals released from traffic exhausts including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and lead has been associated with neurobiological deficits and respiratory diseases. Lahore is placed 20th on the list of most polluted cities with high levels of atmospheric particulate matter. There was a high concentration of pollutants like NO, SO2, O3and PM2.5, the concentration of these elements were alarmingly exceeding the baseline value The prolonged exposure to air pollution has been associated with cognitive dysfunction; deficit in working memory, executive function, attention and fluid intelligence. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and the residence in a polluted area. The present study is a cross sectional study that is based on the comparison of two group i.e. planned on the basis of the amount of pollution, Lahore; a highly polluted city while Islamabad is a less polluted city. A comparative study was carried out in healthy children residing in both polluted areas and unpolluted areas in Lahore and Islamabad. Children ages 711 were assessed through computerized tests (the dual n-back test for working memory and the stroop color word test for attention) Multi linear regression was used to test the hypothesis, the results reveal a significant association between exposure to pollution and a deficit in the working memory and attention. The students residing in Lahore had poor performance on both working memory and attention task , including a lower number of hits, a higher number of misses, a lower d’ score, a longer reaction time on both congruent and incongruent trial and a higher error rate. The findings of the study indicate that students exposed to pollution were more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment.
