Summary: A new study suggests traffic noise and air pollution from living close to a major road could contribute to an increased risk of developing dementia.
Source: The Lancet.
Dementia is more common in people who live within 50 metres of a major road than those who live further away, according to a study looking at 6.6 million people published in The Lancet. However, the study found no link between traffic exposure and Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
The observational study estimated that up to one in 10 (7-11%) cases of dementia among those who live within 50 metres of a major road* could be attributed to traffic exposure.
Previous research has suggested that air pollution and traffic noise may contribute to neurodegeneration, with one study finding that living near a road was associated with reduced white matter and lower cognition. However, the paper in The Lancet is the first to investigate the link between living close to heavy traffic and the onset of major neurodegenerative diseases.
The researchers tracked all adults aged between 20 and 85 living in Ontario, Canada – approximately 6.6 million people – for over a decade from 2001 to 2012. They used postcodes to determine how close people lived to a road and analysed medical records to see if they went on to develop dementia, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
Almost all people (95%) in the study lived within one kilometre of a major road and half lived within 200 metres of one. Over the study period, more than 243000 people developed dementia, 31500 people developed Parkinson’s disease and 9250 people developed multiple sclerosis.
While there was no association between living near a road and Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, dementia was more common the closer people lived to busy roads. The risk of developing dementia reduced as people lived further away from a main road – with a 7% higher risk in developing dementia among those living within 50 metres, a 4% higher risk at 50-100 metres, a 2% higher risk at 101-200 metres and no increase in risk in those living more than 200 metres away.
The researchers also found that long-term exposure to two common pollutants (nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter) was associated with dementia but this did not account for the full effect, meaning other factors are also likely to be involved. These could include other air pollutants or noise from traffic.
“Despite the growing impact of these diseases, little is known about their causes and prevention,” said lead author Dr Hong Chen, Public Health Ontario, Canada. “Our study suggests that busy roads could be a source of environmental stressors that could give rise to the onset of dementia. Increasing population growth and urbanisation has placed many people close to heavy traffic, and with widespread exposure to traffic and growing rates of dementia, even a modest effect from near-road exposure could pose a large public health burden. More research to understand this link is needed, particularly into the effects of different aspects of traffic, such as air pollutants and noise.”
The study estimated air pollution exposure based on postcode, so does not account for each individual’s exposure. Because the study is observational it cannot establish causality, but the study was designed to control for socioeconomic status, education levels, BMI and smoking meaning the link is unlikely to be explained by these factors.
Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, University of Montana, USA, said: “The significant association of newly diagnosed cases of dementia in the study period between 2001 and 2012 with the proximity to traffic road less than 50 m-300 m versus more than 300 m, and the robust observation of dementia involving predominantly urban versus rural residents, opens up a crucial global health concern for millions of people… The health repercussions of living close to heavy traffic vary considerably among exposed populations, given that traffic includes exposures to complex mixtures of environmental insults… We must implement preventive measures now, rather than take reactive actions decades from now.”
* A major road is a major highway, motorway or thoroughfare with significant daily traffic. Examples of major roads include the M1 or M4 in the UK, major state or interstate highways in the U.S., or the 400-series highways in Ontario, Canada.
Funding: The study was funded by Health Canada. It was conducted by scientists from Public Health Ontario, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, University of Toronto, Carleton University, Dalhousie University, Oregon State University, and Health Canada.
Source: Janet Wong – The Lancet
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study” by Hong Chen, PhD, Jeffrey C Kwong, MD, Ray Copes, MD, Karen Tu, MD, Paul J Villeneuve, PhD, Aaron van Donkelaar, PhD, Perry Hystad, PhD, Prof Randall V Martin, PhD, Brian J Murray, MD, Barry Jessiman, MSc, Andrew S Wilton, MSc, Alexander Kopp, BA, and Richard T Burnett, PhD in The Lancet. Published online January 4 2017 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32399-6
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]The Lancet “Living Close to Major Roads Linked to Slightly Increased Dementia Risk.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 5 January 2017.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-road-risk-5867/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]The Lancet (2017, January 5). Living Close to Major Roads Linked to Slightly Increased Dementia Risk. NeuroscienceNew. Retrieved January 5, 2017 from https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-road-risk-5867/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]The Lancet “Living Close to Major Roads Linked to Slightly Increased Dementia Risk.” https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-road-risk-5867/ (accessed January 5, 2017).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
Abstract
Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study
Background
Emerging evidence suggests that living near major roads might adversely affect cognition. However, little is known about its relationship with the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. We aimed to investigate the association between residential proximity to major roadways and the incidence of these three neurological diseases in Ontario, Canada.
Methods
In this population-based cohort study, we assembled two population-based cohorts including all adults aged 20–50 years (about 4·4 million; multiple sclerosis cohort) and all adults aged 55–85 years (about 2·2 million; dementia or Parkinson’s disease cohort) who resided in Ontario, Canada on April 1, 2001. Eligible patients were free of these neurological diseases, Ontario residents for 5 years or longer, and Canadian-born. We ascertained the individual’s proximity to major roadways based on their residential postal-code address in 1996, 5 years before cohort inception. Incident diagnoses of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis were ascertained from provincial health administrative databases with validated algorithms. We assessed the associations between traffic proximity and incident dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for individual and contextual factors such as diabetes, brain injury, and neighbourhood income. We did various sensitivity analyses, such as adjusting for access to neurologists and exposure to selected air pollutants, and restricting to never movers and urban dwellers.
Findings
Between 2001, and 2012, we identified 243 611 incident cases of dementia, 31 577 cases of Parkinson’s disease, and 9247 cases of multiple sclerosis. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of incident dementia was 1·07 for people living less than 50 m from a major traffic road (95% CI 1·06–1·08), 1·04 (1·02–1·05) for 50–100 m, 1·02 (1·01–1·03) for 101–200 m, and 1·00 (0·99–1·01) for 201–300 m versus further than 300 m (p for trend=0·0349). The associations were robust to sensitivity analyses and seemed stronger among urban residents, especially those who lived in major cities (HR 1·12, 95% CI 1·10–1·14 for people living <50 m from a major traffic road), and who never moved (1·12, 1·10–1·14 for people living <50 m from a major traffic road). No association was found with Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.
Interpretation
In this large population-based cohort, living close to heavy traffic was associated with a higher incidence of dementia, but not with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
Funding
Health Canada (MOA-4500314182).
“Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study” by Hong Chen, PhD, Jeffrey C Kwong, MD, Ray Copes, MD, Karen Tu, MD, Paul J Villeneuve, PhD, Aaron van Donkelaar, PhD, Perry Hystad, PhD, Prof Randall V Martin, PhD, Brian J Murray, MD, Barry Jessiman, MSc, Andrew S Wilton, MSc, Alexander Kopp, BA, and Richard T Burnett, PhD in The Lancet. Published online January 4 2017 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32399-6
