A connection between air pollution and poor health is well-researched and well-understood, but a new study suggests that even our brains can be affected by the quality of our air.
Here’s some of what we already know: This study from the American Thoracic Society demonstrates that there is a relationship between air pollution and respiratory emergency department visits, another study from Environmental and Resource Economics links higher frequency of Covid-19 deaths to air pollution, and this study from Environmental Health Perspectives shows that heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases are affected by air quality as well. All of these studies and much more can be easily found by using our intuitive MOCA Research Hub.
However, we are now beginning to understand a new way that clean air affects health. A study published on October 19th in The Lancet analyzes how long-term exposure to air pollution affects the frequency and severity of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimers, and other forms of dementia among elderly people.
The study found that areas with higher amounts of air pollution see an increased rate of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s hospital visits among people aged 65 and older. This is an important finding alone, but the researchers also had another important realization—this connection between air quality and brain disease held true even when analyzing areas that meet national clean-air standards. This means that there is no “safe” level of air pollution for neurological health. In other words, reducing air pollution, even in an area which is already below nationally recommended levels, could result in better brain health for the people living there.
If you want to learn more and stay informed about how air pollution impacts our health, we hope you’ll be interested in our documentary “Planet Prescription”, which premieres tonight at 8pm EST!! Register for the premiere here or on our website.
