Dementia and Air Pollution

Is There a Connection?

Studies have shown that pollution can cause various types of health conditions, such as lung cancer, asthma, and even heart disease. However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that exposure to pollution can also harm the brain, accelerating cognitive aging, and may even increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

USC researchers conducted an 11-year epidemiological study regarding the link between the effects of pollution on the brain. It revealed that people who live in areas who have higher than normal exposure to PM2.5, (tiny, dirty airborne particles that comes from power plants and automobiles) were more likely to suffer from some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Because of these studies, recognizing the classic symptoms of dementia behavior is essential—disorientation, overall cognitive decline and memory loss. In addition, loss of balance, compromised eating habits, challenges when getting dressed , inability to concentrate or even wandering aimlessly, can be some of the hallmark signs of dementia.

It has been found that older women who live in places where pollution (fine and ultrafine particles exceed the EPA’s standards, are at a risk of more than 81 percent to suffer from overall cognitive decline, with more than 92 percent who will likely develop some type of dementia.

There are, in fact, several studies that indicate that there is a link to long-term exposure to air pollution and the “downward spiral of neurodegenerative change in the brain could begin much earlier and rev up in later life. In addition, long-term exposure to high PM2.5 levels is linked to smaller gray and white matter volumes in important areas such as the frontal lobe, which carries out thinking, decision-making and planning.”