Over the years, air pollution has been a hot topic. For most of the concerns revolving around air pollution, the environment has been taken taking a lot of punches. This time, however, air pollution is being linked to deteriorating mental health. A team of researchers from the University of Chicago has published their study on the effects of air pollution on the mental health of people in later stages of life.
For their study, the team analyzed 11 years worth of health data, with 152 million people from the US and Denmark as participants. Their study has revealed that there is a significant link between the development or progression of mental health disorders and the constant exposure to air pollution.
According to the study, those countries with severe air pollution are more likely to have 27% more citizens with cases of bipolar disorder and 6% more citizens with major depression, as compared to countries that have better air quality.
Andrey Rzhetsky, a professor of medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago and an author of the study, said that there might be a few known triggers for bipolar disorder and major depression, however, pollution is a new direction.
Rzhetsky pointed out that the research done on dogs and rodents has revealed that air pollution could get into the brain. This would cause inflammation that would result in symptoms that resemble depression. According to the professor, there is a possibility that this occurs in the human brain as well.
The study has also revealed that in Denmark, adults who live in areas with poor air quality has a 29% increase in cases of mental health disorder. This includes schizophrenia cases and other forms of depression, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder.
John Ioannidis, a professor at Stanford University, insisted that further research needs to be done regarding the topic. He later added that despite analyses involving large data sets, the presented evidence has substantial shortcomings. Ioannidis pointed out that a long series of potential biases could disprove the study done by Rzhetsky and his team.
A few months ago, a study linking air pollution and fertility was referenced by Professor Simmons Fishel, the founder, and president of the CARE Fertility Group. The said research has revealed that pollution could have devastating effects on the fertility of both men and women that live in big cities.
