The study authors said it’s the first nationally representative study of the potential effects of particle pollution on dementia in the US, and the link to dementia was most robust in areas with pollution from agriculture and wildfires.
Pesticides are neurotoxins to animals, she said, so those may be the particles in agriculture pollution that are affecting human brains, as well.
As for wildfires, the smoke doesn’t just come from burning trees; things like homes and gas stations burn too, becoming the particle pollution that people breathe in.
The new study cannot determine the exact mechanism connecting particle pollution and dementia, but scientists have some theories.
A study in England found that adults living with the highest annual concentration of air pollution had 1.4 times the dementia risk as those living with the lowest annual concentration.
Persons:
it’s, ”, Sara Dubowsky Adar, Boya Zhang, Adar, Caleb Finch, William F, It’s, Masashi Kitazawa, Kitazawa, ” Kitazawa, Finch, Zhang, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Zhang, “
Organizations:
CNN, US Environmental Protection Agency, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Pesticides, ARCO, William, Kieschnick, University of Southern, World Health, Alzheimer’s Association, University of California, Alzheimer’s, CNN Health, World Health Organization
Locations:
United States, University of Southern California, Irvine, Canada, England, California