The present results indicate that among children living in Tongliang, Chongqing, in utero exposure to PAHs from a coal-fired power plant adversely affected motor and language development. Prenatal exposure to lead adversely affected social development. Because coal-fired power plants currently produce 75% of China’s electricity and most new plants in China are being built to burn coal, the results from the Tongliang study are relevant to the development of other children living in China
and have significant implications for policies concerning energy and public health.