About 188,000 new dementia cases annually may be linked to air pollution, according to new research from the University of Michigan. Older people who live in places with high levels of agricultural or wildfire air pollution are at a particularly higher risk.
Aug. 15, 2023 – About 188,000 new dementia cases annually may be linked to exposure to air pollution, according to new research from the University of Michigan. Older people who live in places with high levels of agricultural or wildfire air pollution are at a particularly increased risk.. It linked 18 years of data about people’s health to air pollution levels at the residential address of each of the nearly 28,000 people studied.
The researchers examined dementia risk levels based on different types of pollution exposure, including exposure to agricultural, traffic, coal combustion, and wildfire pollution. "In our study, we used a sophisticated prediction model that includes information about the chemical transformations and dispersion of pollution from different sources to estimate the levels of source-specific particulate matter air pollution at participants’ residential addresses," researcher Boya Zhang, a doctoral student who specializes in studying cognitive impacts of pollution, said in a statement.
"These findings are quite timely given the increasing frequency of wildfire smoke in our communities," researcher Sara Adar, ScD, an associate professor of epidemiology, said in a."Our data suggest that in addition to some of the more obvious health impacts of wildfire smoke, like irritation to our throats and eyes along with breathing difficulties, high smoke days might also be taking a toll on our brains.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Air pollution may be to blame for thousands of dementia cases each year, researchers sayNearly 188,000 dementia cases in the U.S. each year may have been caused by air pollution, researchers estimate.
Read more »
Air pollution makes bacteria harder to kill, research findsAir pollution worsens antibiotic resistance, global study warns. Researchers find a strong link between pollution and resistance in 116 countries.
Read more »
Living with air pollution, especially from wildfires or agriculture, raises risk of dementia, US study findsMost previous research on the issue has looked largely at particle pollution from fossil fuels. But in the new study, the connection to dementia seemed most robust with pollution connected to agric…
Read more »
Living with air pollution in US raises risk of dementia, study findsAbout 15% of the study’s participants developed dementia, and its authors say the link was most robust in areas with pollution from wildfires and agriculture.
Read more »
Air pollution increases dementia risk, new NIH study findsA new study funded by the National Institutes of Health found long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to higher rates of dementia.
Read more »