Study reports increased temperatures due to climate change will negatively affect both the general health and mental health of humanity. Children's health will be most affected by climate change, researchers report.
Early-life exposure to high levels of traffic-related air pollution alters the structure of the brain at age 12. Children exposed to air pollution had reduced cortical thickness and gray matter volume compared to children who were not exposed to high levels of pollution.
Living less than 50 meters away from a major road, or less than 150 meters away from a highway, increases the risks for dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. However, living close to green spaces appears to have more of a protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases.
Children who experience elevated prenatal exposure to air pollution and exposure to early life stress have an increased risk of developing both attention problems and cognitive difficulties.
While the risks of developing depression, anxiety disorders, and psychosis are significantly higher for urban dwellers, researchers report there are some positive impacts on mental health for those who live in big cities.
Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to a higher risk of depression. Additionally, suicide risk is measurably higher on days when PM10 levels have been high for over three days following less polluted periods.
Older women exposed to higher levels of air pollution were more likely to experience greater memory decline and Alzheimer's-like brain atrophy compared with those exposed to cleaner air.
Poor air quality has been linked to higher rates of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Exposure to air pollution during the first ten years of like is also associated with a more than two-fold increased risk of schizophrenia and personality disorders.
Maternal exposure to higher levels of air pollution is associated with lower IQ scores in their children. For those whose mothers were in the highest 10% of exposure had IQ score that were, on average, 2.5 points lower than those whose mothers were in the lowest 10%. However, higher maternal folate levels appear to neurtralize the effect of high pollution exposure on offspring.
Damaged olfactory neurons as a result of air pollution may contribute to altered cerebrospinal fluid flow and turnover, acting as a potential mechanism for the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy or during early life is linked to a reduction in cognitive abilities during child development. Greater fine particulate matter 2.5 exposure between fetal stage and 7 years old was associated with lower working memory scores in boys at age 10. Early life exposure to PM2.5 was also correlated with attention problems in both boys and girls.
Children exposed to higher levels of air pollution from traffic have increased levels of myo-inositol in the brain. The increase in myo-inositol was associated with higher risk of generalized anxiety in children.
