Child Development The Hidden Risk to Children’s Brain Health Why clean air may be the most important factor for growing young minds. Posted June 16, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.

Although there’s a lot of evidence that prenatal stress generally can affect child brain development, according to DeIngeniis, research on climate-related stress specifically is lacking.

Climate change in the womb. The research team analyzed brain imaging data from a group of 8-year-old children whose mothers were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy, which devastated parts of New ...