“Long-term exposure to multiple pollutants was associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety,” the researchers concluded.
Air pollution increases people’s risk of depression, two major studies have shown, adding to growing evidence of the harmful effects of polluted air on mental health.
The first study, published last week in the scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry, looked at around 390,000 people in Britain over a period of eleven years. The levels of air pollution they were exposed to were estimated based on their residential address.
The researchers looked at the percentage of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen monoxide (NO) – pollution that comes mainly from vehicular traffic and fossil fuel-fired power stations .
“Long-term exposure to multiple pollutants was associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety,” the researchers concluded.
“Knowing that air quality standards in many countries are not in line with the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization in 2011, more stringent air pollution standards or regulations should be implemented,” they stressed.
A second study, published yesterday in the scientific journal JAMA Network Open, focuses on the effects of fine particles (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) on people over 64 years of age.
The aim was to examine the effects of air pollution on the occurrence of depression later in life.
The research was based on the database of Medicare, the US public health insurance for the elderly, and looked at about 8.9 million people, of whom about 1.5 million suffered from depression.
Her findings show once again that there is a link between air pollution and depression.
This fact can be explained by the connection observed between the high concentration of pollutants and the occurrence of inflammation in the brain, explain the two studies.
“There is a link between inflammation and depression,” said Oliver Robinson, professor of neuroscience and mental health at University College London, who was not involved in the research.
The research “adds to the growing body of evidence that we should be concerned about the effects of pollution on mental health, beyond its more obvious link” to respiratory disease, he added.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
