Chronic exposure to air pollution increases the risk of dementia and stroke

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New studies confirm all previous findings – The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the average annual exposure to PM2.5 particles should not exceed 5µg/m3.

Frequent exposure to the tiny particles of air pollution, which come mainly from vehicle traffic on roads, is possibly linked to an increased chance of developing dementia, a new scientific study shows.

Chronic exposure to air pollution also increases the risk of stroke and its subsequent complications, another scientific study shows.

The “super-research” on the cloud and dementia

The first research – a meta-analysis that included all internationally published studies (17 in total) on the link between air pollution and dementia – focused on PM2.5 particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 millionths of a meter, which are suspended in the air and enter into the body mainly through inhalation.

The surveys involved a total of more than 91 million people over the age of 40, of whom around 5.5 million or 6% were diagnosed with dementia over time.

The researchers, led by Dr. Ehsan Abolhazani of Canada’s Western University, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Neurology” of the American Academy of Neurology, concluded that the risk of dementia increases by 3% for every 1 µg/m3 (one microgram per cubic meter of air) of increasing fine particles in the atmosphere. More generally, it was found that elderly people who had not developed dementia were, on average, less exposed to micropollutants.

Read more: Commission: Proposes stricter rules for air pollution

“As people live longer and longer, conditions such as dementia tend to become more common, so identifying and understanding preventable risk factors is key to curbing the rise of dementia. Given that a World Health Organization report showed that more than 90% of the world’s population lives in areas with higher than recommended levels of air pollution, the findings provide further evidence for strengthening air quality regulations and accelerating the transition from fossil fuels in renewable energies”, said Dr. Abolhazani.

“Although our meta-analysis does not prove that air pollution causes dementia, but only shows an association between them, our hope is that these findings will prompt people to take more active action to reduce their exposure to pollution . People can, among other things, use more renewable energy, choose to live in areas with lower levels of pollution and take care to reduce pollution from wheeled vehicles in residential areas,” he added.

Risk for stroke

Chronic exposure to air pollution increases the risk of a stroke, as well as its subsequent complications, a new Chinese scientific study shows.

Sun Yat-sen University researchers, who also published in the American Academy of Neurology’s Neurology journal, analyzed data on 318,752 people aged 40 to 69 living in Britain, none of whom had a history of stroke at the start of the study. research. Over a 15-year period, nearly 6,000 people had a stroke, 3,000 had cardiovascular disease, and 1,000 died from various causes. The study correlated people’s health with pollution levels in their area of ​​residence.

It was found that as exposure to air pollution increased, the risk of stroke increased. For every 5 extra µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air) of PM2.5 particles on an annual basis, the risk of stroke increased by 24%. These particles, which have a diameter of up to two and a half millionths of a meter and enter the body, mainly come from vehicle exhausts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the average annual exposure to PM2.5 should not exceed 5μg/m3. In the study, those who suffered a stroke were exposed to twice the average PM2.5 levels of 10 µg/m3.

“Exposure to PM2.5 can cause systemic oxidative stress, inflammation, atherosclerosis and thus increase the risk of stroke,” according to lead researcher Hualiang Lin.

Also, the study found that for every 5µg/m3 increase in a person’s average annual exposure to nitrogen dioxide (a product of combustion), there was a 4% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease after stroke. However, pollution did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of an immediately fatal stroke.

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