Air Quality News reporter Chloe Coules investigates growing concern around the effects that air pollution can have on our brains and wellbeing, from mental health to memory.
Researchers have known for decades that high levels of air pollution can have a negative impact on respiratory and cardiovascular health, accounting for around 28,000 to 36,000 early deaths a year in the UK according to Public Health England.
However, the effects of air pollution on the mind are less well understood, and researchers have only recently started to discover the vast range of impacts that air pollution can have on the brain.
‘Air pollution is not something we immediately think of when asked about the factors that increase a person’s risk of having problems with their mental health. However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that air pollution does make people more likely to experience mental health difficulties,’ says Dr David Crepaz-Keay, head of applied learning at the Mental Health Foundation.
‘We also know that physical and mental health are very closely connected, so it is likely that something known to harm people’s bodies – air pollution – also harms their minds,’
A recent study published in the journal JAMA Open Network, found that exposure to air pollution in childhood and adolescence is linked to an increased risk of mental illness in adult life.
The study monitored adolescents across several decades, measuring their exposure to nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine...
Read Full Story: https://airqualitynews.com/2021/09/20/hidden-harms-the-impacts-of-air-pollution-on-the-mind/
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