Researchers in London have linked higher levels of air pollution with more hospital admissions and higher use of community mental health care services. The link was found for both nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particle pollution (PM2.5).
The researchers looked at people over age 15 who had a first visit for mental health care between 2008-2012, for both psychotic and mood disorders. Then they looked at how many days of hospitalization they had 1 year later, and 7 years later, and compared between people who lived in areas with more or less air pollution.
Comparing those who lived with the cleanest air, those who lived with the most polluted air had more time in the hospital and increased use of community services. Nitrogen oxides increased the risk of hospitalization by 18% at 1 year from first encounter, and PM2.5 increased the risk by 11%. Nitrogen oxides increased the risk of needing community services by 31% at 1 year from first encounter, and PM2.5 and PM10 increased the risk by 7-9%. The researchers found that at 7 years, about the same increased risk happened.
In addition to the increased risk, there was evidence of a dose effect: lower exposure had lesser risk, medium exposure had medium risk, and the highest exposure had the highest risk.
The researchers noted in the Guardian that it is difficult to do interventions at the individual level, but that modifying air pollution levels for a community could have a big impact on health and well-being, and could also reduce health costs.
Because nitrogen oxides mostly come from traffic exhaust (cars, trucks, and buses) or from power generation, both clean transportation and clean energy will really help.
This is yet more evidence that Healthy Air Is Health Care, and that reducing air pollution will improve our health, reduce suffering, and reduce health care costs.
Read the article in the Guardian here.
Read the scientific article in Cambridge University Press here.
08/27/2021
