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| Chemicals cast off by tail-pipe pollution such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and soot are known to boost the risk for heart disease, stroke and respiratory problems (AFP Photo/Ina Fassbender) |
Paris (AFP)
- Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased
risk of dementia, according to research published Wednesday.
The link
remained even after heavy drinking, smoking and other well established risk
factors for dementia were ruled out, the researchers reported in medical
journal BMJ Open.
Worldwide,
about seven percent of people over 65 suffer from Alzheimer's or some form of
dementia, a percentage that rises to 40 percent above the age of 85.
The number
afflicted worldwide is expected to nearly triple by 2050, posing a huge
challenge to healthcare systems.
"Primary
prevention of all dementia is a major global public health concern for the
coming decades," the researchers wrote.
Chemicals
cast off by tailpipe pollution such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and soot are
known to boost the risk for heart disease, stroke and respiratory problems,
especially asthma.
But whether
they also make Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia more likely has remained
unclear.
To find out
more, a team of researchers led by Iain Carey of the University of London's
Population Health Research Institute combed through health records for 131,000
people living in Greater London who, in 2004, were aged 50 to 79.
None showed
signs of dementia when the study began.
Based on
residential addresses, the scientists estimated yearly exposure to both NO2 and
fine particulates known as PM2.5, and then tracked the health of the
participants over a seven-year period.
During that
time, nearly 2,200 patients -- 1.7 percent of the total -- were diagnosed with
dementia.
The fifth
of these patients living in the most heavily polluted areas were 40 percent
more likely to be afflicted than the fifth residing in areas with the least NO2
and PM2.5.
Public
health gains
Because the
study was based on after-the-fact analysis rather than a clinical trial in an
experimental setting, no firm conclusions can be drawn as to cause-and-effect,
the authors cautioned.
But the
findings strongly suggest that the chemical byproducts of burning diesel and
petrol can damage brain function.
"Traffic-related
air pollution has been linked to poorer cognitive development in young
children," the study noted.
And even if
the impact of air pollution remains relatively modest, they added, "the
public health gains would be significant if it emerged that curbing exposure
might delay progression of dementia."
The study
was welcomed by experts who reviewed it before publication.
"There
is a growing body of evidence of the link between air pollution and brain
health, including dementia and Alzheimer's," said Martie Van Tongeren, a
professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of
Manchester.
"This
adds to it."
Kevin
McConway of the Open University praised the study but noted that it only
estimated exposure to pollutants at home, and did not account for NO2 and PM2.5
levels at or near places of work, or the amount of time spent away from home.
In
September 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed that German car
manufacturer VW has installed so-called "defeat devices" in its cars
to cheat in emissions tests.
The
European Environment Agency estimates that more than 400,000 people in Europe's
urban areas die prematurely every year due to outdoor air pollution.
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