By now, you already know how air pollution affects not only our environment but also our lungs. It is currently a growing cause of several respiratory problems. A number of studies, meanwhile, cite it as a potential cancer-causing agent. What you don't know is that it also changes the brain-literally.
Based on a study conducted by the School of Medicine of Boston University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers, those who are exposed to air pollution in the long term, like people who live in highly urbanized cities around the world, are at risk of having a shrinking brain. Air pollution may also lead to dementia.
During the experiment, the team analyzed the brain of more than 940 people who are more than 60 years old and had not been diagnosed with dementia. Their air pollution exposure level was also studied and compared.
Based on their data, the brain tends to shrink at least 0.32% for every 2 micrograms of polluted matter for every cubic meter, which is the amount of fine particles that are usually present in large- and middle-sized metros around the globe.
While this may sound like a very small change to brain volume, this is actually enough to cause silent stroke, which is very dangerous since the person can remain asymptomatic. In fact, this level of air pollution particulates can boost the risk to more than 43%.
If silent stroke is not detected promptly, this can then lead to an increased risk of dementia and overt strokes. It is also associated with depression.
The decrease in brain volume is also directly proportional to the level of air pollution of his residence. For instance, when the researchers compared the brain volume based on geographical location, those who lived in places with less air pollution were at least a year younger than men and women who were in very polluted areas.
