A study conducted in the US has claimed that even a small increase in the level of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in an area can cause a greater risk of dementia for the people living there.
What is dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities. The disorder is serious enough to interfere with the person’s daily life. It generally occurs due to Alzheimer’s disease. In dementia, the brain cells of the person get damaged, which interferes with the ability of cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells fail to communicate with each other, the feelings, behavior, and thinking of a person get affected.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington. It has used the data from two large, long-running study projects- one that began in the late 1970s and involved measuring air pollution levels. while the other began in 1994 and involved studying risk factors for dementia.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives on August 4, has linked PM 2.5 or particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller with dementia. The lead author of the study, Rachel Shaffer, researched as a doctoral student at the University of Washington. She has said, “We found that an increase of 1 microgram per cubic meter of exposure corresponded to a 16 percent greater hazard of all-cause dementia. There was a similar association for Alzheimer’s-type dementia.”
How was the research conducted?
The study started by observing over 4,000 Seattle-area residents. They were those enrolled in the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study. Out of these residents, more than 1000 people who had been diagnosed with dementia at some point since the ACT study began in 1994, were identified by the researcher
The researchers found that just a 1 microgramme per cubic meter difference between residences was associated with a 16 percent higher chance of dementia.
The researchers said, “While there are many factors such as diet, exercise, and genetics associated with the increased risk of developing dementia, air pollution is now recognized to be among the key potentially modifiable risk factors.”
Shaffer stated, “How we’ve understood the role of air pollution exposure on health has evolved from first thinking it was pretty much limited to respiratory problems, then that it also has cardiovascular effects, and now there’s evidence of its effects on the brain.”
She further added, “Over an entire population, many people are exposed. So, even a small change in relative risk ends up being important on a population scale.”
These reports have added to earlier results that also suggested that air pollution causes neurodegenerative disorders. According to this latest report, one can reduce the burden of dementia by simply reducing exposure to air pollution.