Breathing polluted air every day does not hurt only to the lungs. According to a new scientific revision on a world scale, the brain is also affected. Scholars have discovered that twelve months of constant exposure to certain atmospheric pollutants are enough to significantly increase the risk of dementia. The data that affects the most? The risk can rise up to 17% based on the level of exposure.
Over 29 million individuals in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia were involved in the study. Scientists analyzed 51 different studies, comparing the air pollution levels with the incidence of clinically diagnosed dementia. The correlation is clear, and the managers are well known: fine dust (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (No2) and soot.
PM2.5 fine particulate is the most dangerous
PM2.5 is a abbreviation that indicates microscopic particles suspended in the air, with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns, that is, dozens of more subtle times than a human hair. Precisely for this dimension, they can be inhaled and penetrate deeply into the lungs, until they reach the bloodstream and, according to recent studies, also the brain.
The PM2.5 come from various sources: vehicle exhausts, wood combustion, industrial systems, power plants and even cooking cooking. The study highlighted that each increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) of PM2.5 is associated with an increase of 17% of the risk of dementia.
But it doesn’t end there. Two other pollutants are also harmful.
Thus traffic and combustion increase the risk of cognitive decline
Nitrogen dioxide (No2) is an irritating gas produced mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels: car exhausts, industrial emissions, but also gas stoves. In this case, every 10 μg/m³ of no2 more correspond to a 3% increase in the risk of dementia.
The soot, on the other hand, is made up of carbon particles deriving from the incomplete combustion of organic materials. Although less discussed, it is equally worrying: just one microgram per cubic meter is enough to increase the risk of dementia by 13%.
To better understand, in 2023 in London the average concentration of PM2.5 was 10 μg/m³, that of No2 of 33 μg/m³ and the soot exceeded on average 0.9 μg/m³. Values that widely exceed the limits recommended by the World Health Organization, and which are similar to those of many Italian cities, especially in large urban centers.
Isolde Radford, an expert in health policies at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
This rigorous revision is added to the growing evidence that long -term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing dementia.
Clare Rogowski, researcher of the University of Cambridge and co-author of the study, underlined that urgent and concrete measures are needed:
More stringent limits must be established for pollutants and act directly on key sectors such as transport and industry. But they serve coordinated policies at local, national and international level, because the quality of the air concerns everyone.
Don’t you want to lose our news?
You may also be interested in:
