In a study that was published recently, there is evidence that has been added that pollution present in the air might be associated with certain mental health conditions. However, it has not yet been established if and how pollution might be having an effect on our brains.
What Discoveries Has This New Study Made?
From data that was analyzed from 1.4 million people located in Denmark and 151 million people located in the US, researchers have discovered a correlation that is strong between air quality that is poor and increased rates of schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders, and bipolar disorder. This indicates that the link is there, but it doesn’t necessarily prove that air pollution is the cause of these conditions.
How Viable Is The Link Between Pollution And Mental Health Conditions?
When the researchers looked over US health insurance claims, they discovered that a predictor that was the strongest of receiving the diagnose for a condition like bipolar disorder directly after ethnicity happened to be air quality. Previous research has uncovered a link in the UK between areas with high pollution and teenagers that revealed reports of psychotic experiences along with psychiatric disorders and air pollution in Swedish children.
How Reliable Is The Evidence For These?
Due to methodological issues and limited studies, scientists, at this stage are still analyzing this evidence.
One of the issues relates to insufficient data surrounding what the true exposure of the individual is to the air pollution where they reside, with some of the research viewing the measurements of air quality on a city-wide basis, opposed to specific addresses. This is a significant drawback given the fact that exposure to air pollution can vary dramatically from street to street.
In the latest study, exposure rates in the US were mapped out according to counties, with some that span over 1000’s of square miles.
Is there anything else that might explain the link between polluted air and mental health conditions?
The study attempted to account for distinguishing factors with the data that was available at the time, including population density, ethnicity, and income. One of the more obvious factors that may be connected to both pollution and mental health might be traffic noise, which is well-known for disrupting sleep and increasing stress.
In other research, deprivation may be another important factor, since poverty is linked with both pollution and psychiatric conditions.
So should we be concerned about the connection between mental health and air pollution?
Despite the fact that the proof is not yet strong enough, scientists and researchers do agree that there is a link between mental disorders and dirty air and that it warrants more research.
How Can Pollution Affect Our Brains?
Pollutants that are extremely small, which is better known as particulate matter called PM2.5s, has the potential to cross the blood-brain barrier, which could affect the brain. One of the other possibilities is associated with inflammation inside the body that starts to increase, and air pollution is one of the causes of this factor. This can initiate stress responses in the brain. Another factor includes pollution that causes epigenetic changes. This affects DNA activities, which could result in changes in brain chemical levels. However, most scientists are very cautious when it comes to these results, as the studies conducted used tentative mechanisms.
Should we not be more concerned about the overall physical effects?
Increased evidence about this connection may not have much of an effect on policy since the cases for action associated with air pollution which includes decreasing life-spans through heart and lung issues is already strong. Yet if polluted air is discovered to be one of the causes of mental health conditions, it may open up new avenues when it comes to the treatment and prevention of mental health conditions, says John Ioannidis from Standford University, which was featured in PLOS Biology in one of the commentary articles.
What Has Been Done To Find Out More?
Studies surrounding air pollution and how it may be affecting mental health happens to be around 5 to 10 years behind when it comes to the huge amount of evidence now made available on the impacts linked to physical health. The 2 fundamental things that should be addressed include studies that analyze exposure to air pollution over a longer time-frame and an improved geographical resolution, assisted by researchers carrying out individual air pollution monitors. This type of research is already underway.