If your child is scoring low on tests in school, don't be too quick to blame him or her for not working hard enough because a new study indicates there may be a contributing factor out of their control.

Children living in high traffic pollution areas show as having IQs similar to kids exposed to the secondhand smoke from 10 cigarettes per day. The youth tested scored lower on tests determining intelligence and memory. Researchers blame the problem on potential inflammation and oxidative damage to the brain caused by breathing dirty air caused by traffic polluiton. The black carbon found in vehicle exhaust and tobacco smoke were cited as possible reasons children exposed to the substance scored an average 3.4 drop in IQ when tested on vocabulary and learning.

Kids have thought of and used every excuse in the book for poor grade: the dog ate homework, a computer crashed and an assignment was lost or sports practice interfered with study time. This is yet another sign that we've transtioned into an eco-age in which pollution and environmental issues invade yet another aspect of our lives and where no easy solution is available.

The full findings of the study can be found in the American Journal of Epideomology.

» Reuters Health