A new study shows that being exposed to particulate air pollution may be linked to dementia. The authors say that reducing air pollution could promote healthy aging.
When people are exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, it may increase their risk for dementia. PM2.5 refers to the size of the pollutant particles in the air, and is the size of pollutants from wildfires and agriculture. Those particles can hang out in the air for a long time. Winds can also shift them, so people aren’t just affected at the source of the pollution — it can impact people far from the site. The study appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine Aug. 14.
Researchers looked at survey data from 27,857 people between 1998 to 2016. They were under 50 when the study began, and didn’t have dementia. Of them, 4,105 developed dementia. The people who developed dementia lived in areas with more air pollution compared to those who didn’t develop dementia.
Even when air quality was below current air quality standards, the authors still saw the dementia-pollution link.
PM can come from smoke, soot, dirt, or dust. Sources include construction sites, agriculture, some power plants, cars, and driving on unpaved roads. But the researchers said things were more pronounced with wildfires and agricultural processes that include putting pesticides on the ground.
“At first, when agriculture and wildfires were the two that popped out, Boya and I were both surprised,” said Sara Dubowsky Adar, associate chair of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
”In hindsight, it really makes a lot of sense, mostly because of the fact that we’re looking at impacts on the brain, and agriculture we know is using a lot of pesticides,” Adar said.
Researchers speculate that the particles could be inhaled and then lead to neuronal cell death that occurs in people with dementia.
Other research has found a connection between air pollution and dementia.
