Mind Matters: How air pollution increases the risk of dementia

It is a known fact that any form of air pollution is harmful to your health. Annually, it kills approximately 6.5 million people in the world. One form of emission which is rising due to wildfires, nevertheless, is being more and more connected to dementia brought on by ageing. According to a recent study, those who live in areas of the United States where air pollution is prevalent are more likely to develop dementia. Air pollution may have contributed to about 188,000 cases of dementia per year in America, it said. An impairment in memory, thinking, or decision-making that prevents one from carrying out daily tasks is referred to as dementia. Let’s take a closer look Also read: Can children have dementia? What’s the Type 2 Battens disease diagnosed in US children? The link between dementia & particulate pollution About 27,857 survey respondents’ data from the years 1998 to 2016 were analysed for the study, which was published in the journal Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine. To estimate the total PM2.5 at the subjects’ locations, researchers used survey data from every two years that investigated subjects’ cognition, health, and health behaviours. They also collected air quality data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and information on variables like nearby transit and population density. It was discovered that places with higher particle pollution were home to 15 per cent of those who had dementia. This association was especially strong where there was agricultural and wildfire-related pollution. According to the US EPA, particle pollution, also known as PM2.5 or particulate matter (PM), is a combination of solid and liquid particles that are present in the air. Power plants, automobiles, agricultural pursuits, building sites, and wildfires are just a few of the sources from which it might come in the form of dirt, dust, soot, or smoke. In contrast to earlier research, which mostly concentrated on pollution from fossil fuels, the new study highlighted the importance of pollution from agricultural practices and wildfires. According to Dr Sara Dubowsky Adar, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health who was involved in the study, pesticides have a big role in agricultural pollution because they are well-known neurotoxins. She claimed that because pesticides are neurotoxins to animals, it is possible that these are the particles in agricultural pollution that are harming human brains as well. Regarding wildfires, the smoke doesn’t simply come from burning trees; it also comes from burning homes and petrol stations, which produces the particulate pollution that people inhale. “Our cohort study suggests that reducing PM2.5 and perhaps selectively targeting certain sources for policy interventions might be effective strategies to reduce the burden of dementia at the population level, although more research is needed to confirm our findings,” the paper said, according to Forbes. Particle pollution is especially dangerous Because PM2.5 particles are so small — about 1/20th the width of a human hair — they pose serious health risks. When you exhale, it might not be breathed out but rather remain lodged in your lungs or enter your circulation. [caption id=“attachment_13004882” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Particle pollution, also known as PM2.5 or particulate matter (PM), is a combination of solid and liquid particles that are present in the air. Pixabay[/caption] The particles can then get past our body’s defences, causing irritation, inflammation, and respiratory problems. They may also cause diseases like cancer, depression, heart disorders, and dementia, as the study revealed. According to CNN, Dr Caleb Finch, a neurobiology professor at the University of Southern California, had compared inhaling particulate pollution to smoking cigarettes, creating similar harmful health effects, reiterating the seriousness of the health danger. “Just like cigarettes, there’s no such thing as good inhaled particles. Almost everything that air pollution does, cigarette smoke also does,” Dr Finch said. Also read: Footballers at increased risk of developing dementia, finds study Other similar studies Similar links between one type of pollution and dementia have been discovered by other studies. According to a 2016 research of 6.6 million Canadians, dementia rates were seven per cent higher in neighbourhoods that were 164 feet or closer to a major road than in neighbourhoods that were 984 feet or farther away from the road, where fine particulate matter levels were up to 10 times lower. Individuals living in areas with the highest annual concentration of air pollution had a 1.4 times higher chance of developing dementia than individuals living in areas with the lowest annual concentration, according to a 2018 England-based study published in BMJ Journals. Another 2020 research conducted in California suggests older women who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution performed worse on cognitive tests than those who were exposed to lower levels of pollution. Areas of the brain that are commonly impacted by Alzheimer’s disease shrank as well, according to a scan. According to CNN, despite the lack of a conclusive association between particle pollution and dementia, research co-author Zhang argues that due to all the various health issues that air pollution can lead to, people should act now to reduce their exposure. Dementia According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 55 million dementia sufferers worldwide, and 10 million additional individuals are diagnosed with it every year. The incidence of dementia cases is expected to rise dramatically in the next years due to other health problems like obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure. The Alzheimer’s Association declared in 2021 that the rising levels of air pollution and the rise in dementia cases around the world should be recognised as grave public health issues. The current study indicates plausible pathways, such as pollution particles entering and harming the brain, or indirect consequences like pollution-triggered heart issues which can also contribute to dementia, despite not being able to identify the exact mechanism relating particle pollution and dementia. Also read: Explained: Can nose-picking raise risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s? Reducing air pollution Despite several laws and efforts by many countries to reduce air pollution, the number of “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality days has increased over the years, largely due to the climate crisis. In fact, almost the entire world’s population breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits. A recent study found that exposure to this type of pollution contributed to an additional 107,000 premature deaths in the US alone in 2011 from all causes. Using air purifiers in the home and donning masks when venturing outside in the midst of wildfire smoke are two ways one individual can take to lessen exposure, CNN quoted Zhang as saying. If it turns out that pesticides are the issue, governments may decide to prohibit use on a policy level. Zhang remarked, “That’s good for the welfare, making it a worldwide action to reduce people’s exposure.” Adar, a co-author of the study, also believes that more extensive improvements will result from it. “Hopefully, this is also one more reason that might motivate people to act on climate change and think about ways in which we can slow the progression of climate change,” she told the outlet, adding, “We see so many tragic examples with what’s happening right now.” With inputs from agencies