The Effects of Traffic Air Pollution in and around Schools on Executive Function and Academic Performance in Children: A Rapid Review

This review summarises the extant literature investigating the relation between traffic-related air pollution levels in and around schools and executive functioning in primary-school-aged children. An electronic search was conducted using Web of Science, Scopus, and Education Literature Datasets databases (February 2020). Review articles were also searched, and forwards and backwards searches of identified studies were performed. Included papers were assessed for quality. We included 9 separate studies (published in 13 papers). Findings suggest that indoor and outdoor particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 mu m or less (PM2.5) negatively influences executive function and academic achievement and that indoor and outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) adversely affects working memory. Evidence for the effects of particulate matter with a diameter of 10 mu m or less (PM10) is limited but suggests potential wide-ranging negative effects on attention, reasoning, and academic test scores. Air pollution in and around schools influences executive function and appears to impede the developmental trajectory of working memory. Further research is required to establish the extent of these effects, reproducibility, consequences for future attainment, and place within the wider context of cognitive development.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the existing literature on the relationship between traffic-related air pollution levels in and around schools and executive functioning in primary-school-aged children. The findings suggest that PM2.5 negatively affects executive function and academic achievement, while NO2 adversely affects working memory. Limited evidence suggests that PM10 may have wide-ranging negative effects on attention, reasoning, and academic test scores. The review emphasizes the importance of further research to establish the extent and reproducibility of these effects, their consequences for future attainment, and their place within the broader context of cognitive development.