Long-term breathing of polluted air increases the risk of depression, say two new studies, adding to growing evidence of a harmful effect of pollution on mental health.
The first research, published last week in the journal Jama Psychiatry, followed around 390,000 people for 11 years in the UK. The levels of pollution to which they were exposed were estimated according to the location of their domicile.
The researchers studied the rates of fine particles (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO), pollution caused in part by fossil fuel plants and vehicle traffic. “Long-term exposure to multiple contaminants was associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety,” the scientists concluded.
The observed risk is non-linear, that is, it grows strongly above a relatively low concentration level and tends to stagnate afterwards. “Knowing that air quality standards in many countries still greatly exceed the latest World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 recommendations, stricter pollution standards or regulations should be established,” the study authors stressed.
The second study, published this Friday in Jama Network Open, focused on the effect of fine particles (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) on people over 64 years old. The aim was to study the consequences of air pollution on the development of late-life depression.
These works used a Medicare database, public health insurance reserved for the elderly in the United States, and studied a population of 8.9 million people, of which 1.5 million suffer from depression.
“We observed statistically significant harmful associations between long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution and increased risk of a late-life diagnosis of depression,” the researchers note. “Socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals had a much higher risk of depression in later life in this study,” they point out. “They are exposed to both social stress and poor environmental conditions, including air pollution.”
The association between pollution and depression could be explained by the relationship observed between high concentrations of pollutants and brain inflammation, according to the two studies. These papers “add to the growing body of evidence that we should be concerned about the effects of pollution on mental health,” noted Oliver Robinson, professor of neuroscience and mental health at University College London, who was not involved in the research.
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