Air pollution and your brain: what do you need to know right now

Abstract

Research links air pollution mostly to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The effects of air pollution on the central nervous system (CNS) are not broadly recognized. Urban outdoor pollution is a global public health problem particularly severe in megacities and in underdeveloped countries, but large and small cities in the United States and the United Kingom are not spared. Fine and ultrafine particulate matter (UFPM) defined by aerodynamic diameter (<2.5-μm fine particles, PM2.5, and <100-nm UFPM) pose a special interest for the brain effects given the capability of very small particles to reach the brain. In adults, ambient pollution is associated to stroke and depression, whereas the emerging picture in children show significant systemic inflammation, immunodysregulation at systemic, intratechal and brain levels, neuroinflammation and brain oxidative stress, along with the main hallmarks of Alzheimer and Parkinson's diseases: hyperphosphorilated tau, amyloid plaques and misfolded α-synuclein. Animal models exposed to particulate matter components show markers of both neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Epidemiological, cognitive, behavioral and mechanistic studies into the association between air pollution exposures and the development of CNS damage particularly in children are of pressing importance for public health and quality of life. Primary health providers have to include a complete prenatal and postnatal environmental and occupational history to indoor and outdoor toxic hazards and measures should be taken to prevent or reduce further exposures.

Avaliação de impacto à saúde do Programa de Controle de Poluição do Ar por Veículos Automotores no município de São Paulo, Brasil

“…Adicionalmente, o sistema de transporte, ao gerar menos resíduos poluidores, diminui os danos ao meio ambiente e à saúde da população, seja essa população usuária ou não de veículos. A comunidade local tem ganhos em saúde e qualidade de vida com a diminuição da poluição, pela diminuição de doenças cardiorrespiratórias, do estresse oxidativo, da inflamação e do envelhecimento precoce (DE PRINS et al, 2014), de doenças neurodegenerativas (CALDERÓN-GARCIDUEÑAS et al, 2015), do câncer de pulmão (FAJERSZTAJN et al, 2013;RAASCHOU-NIELSEN et al, 2013;SAX et al, 2013), entre outras doenças. A melhora na qualidade do ar também é um incentivo à atividade física e a atividades ao ar livre, com ganhos em saúde pública (GRABOW et al, 2012).…”

Disruption of Neurosynaptic Physiology and Neuron Network Dysfunction in Brain Disorders: An Environmental and Occupational Health Perspective

“…PM may irritate airway sensory nerve endings activating vanilloid receptors and causing release of neuropeptides that induce neurogenic inflammation [34]. Chronic pollutant induced epithelial and endothelial injury can lead to systemic inflammation with release of proinflammatory cytokines acting on brain blood vessels via constitutive or induced receptors [35].…”

The Association Between Mobile Phones and the Risk of Brain Cancer Mortality: A 25‐year Cross‐country Analysis

“…Other commonly proposed risk factors for brain cancers include exposure to vinyl chloride, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and environmental toxins. Existing studies, however, have found either no evidence or very weak evidence of a link between these other risk factors and brain cancer (Boffetta et al ; Calderón‐Garcidueñas et al ; Galeone et al ; Vida et al ).…”