Among the many health hazards that air pollution causes, recent studies in China and Mexico shows a new link between poor air quality and an overall decrease in intelligence.
Air pollution has been well documented to cause harm to our bodies, but its effect on our minds has not been thoroughly researched. These new studies closely tracked the mental states of individuals over the span of years, revealing ground-breaking results in the psychological effects of air pollution.
Masks are used for protection from fine particulates- Courtesy of Arran Smith
A study in China tracked the pollution levels throughout two years and monitored individuals throughout this period. This allowed researchers to obtain a reference point for each individual and looked at their overall mental change.
The study concluded that long exposure to polluted air degraded cognitive functions. People over the age of 64 suffered the largest drop in intelligence, with losing up to one year of education.
Another study, by the Beijing Normal University, tracked sulphur dioxides and nitrogen dioxides levels from 2010-2014 along with the performance of 20,000 students in an arithmetic and language test. The study determined that prolonged exposure to air pollution caused a drop in test scores; with language functions decreasing greater than mathematics.
Beijing is known for poor air quality -Photo by Kentaro IEMOTO on Flickr
A study by the Mexican National Pediatrics Institute, shadowed children and dogs from areas in Mexico with varying levels of air pollution. All the participants of the study were pre-screened for any neurological and cognitive disorders that might affect the results. The participants then underwent brain MRI scans which showed abnormal inflammations in the brains of participants living in polluted areas.
This correlation has not been deeply studied, due to how relatively new these findings are. “The present work presents a ground-breaking relationship between environmental pollution, structural brain alterations and cognitive deficits/delays in healthy children” says in the paper published by the Mexican National Pediatrics Institute
These new findings are crucial to understand the adverse effects of global warming on our brains. Rather than just a correlation, scientists firmly believe it is directly harming our brains. “It is because high air pollution can potentially be associated with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration of humans” says Derrick Ho from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
This gives us a brief glimpse into our polluted future, as greenhouse gases are rising, exposure to high levels of pollution are affecting more and more individuals. Around 90% of the world already lives in areas where air pollution surpasses the World Health Organization guidelines. The impact of air pollution will greatly affect our quality of life and place a burden on economy due the large effect on the population’s health.
