Prenatal Air Pollution and Autism in the ECHO Cohort: 8,035 Mother-Child Pairs

A 2026 study from the ECHO Consortium analyzed data from 8,035 mother-child pairs across 44 U.S. cohorts. The dataset examines associations between prenatal exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 air pollutants and child autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits and diagnosis. It was authored by Akhgar Ghassabian and shared under a CC-BY-NC-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Analyzing associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and autism-related traits based on Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores.
• Investigating the relationship between ozone (O3) levels and physician-diagnosed ASD based on logistic regression results.
• Examining geographic heterogeneity in air pollution effects on ASD outcomes across U.S. census divisions.
• Modeling quantile-specific effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on median SRS scores.

Strengths

• Includes data from 8,035 mother-child pairs, providing a substantial sample size.
• Covers three key air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2, O3) with pregnancy exposure averages and standard deviations reported.
• Uses multiple outcome measures: parent-rated SRS scores and physician-diagnosed ASD for 444 children.
• Analysis spans 44 cohorts across the United States, allowing for geographic examination.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and cohort selection bias inherent to the ECHO Consortium structure.

Provenance

Source

Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Consortium, 44 U.S. cohorts.

Collection Method

Air pollution levels estimated at residential addresses during pregnancy; ASD outcomes assessed via parent report and physician diagnosis.

Time Range

Pregnancy period for exposure; child outcomes assessed at mean age 9.4 years.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-22 15:13:10; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United States, analyzed within census divisions.