Air pollution and depression
The researchers looked at the percentage of microparticles (PM2,5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO).
This pollution comes mainly from vehicle traffic and power plants run on fossil fuels.
“Long-term exposure to many pollutants was associated with an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety,” the researchers concluded.
“Aware that air quality standards in many countries are not in line with the most recent WHO recommendations in 2011, more stringent air pollution standards or regulations have to be implemented,” they stressed.
The second survey
A second study, published in the JAMA Network Open Scientific Journal, focuses on the effects of PM2,5, NO2 and O3 in individuals over 64 years of age.
The goal was to examine the effects of air pollution on the occurrence of depression later in life.
The study was based on the database of Medicare, the US public health insurance for the elderly, and looked at about 8.9 million children in the elderly. The European Union has a key role to play in the fight against poverty. They were suffering from depression.
Its conclusions show once again that there is a link between air pollution and depression.
Brain inflammation
This can be explained by the connection observed between the high concentration of pollutants and the occurrence of inflammation in the brain.
“There is a connection between inflammation and depression,” commented Oliver Robinson, a professor of neuroscience and mental health at University College London.
These investigations “add to more and more evidence indicating that we should be concerned about the mental health effects of pollution,” he added.
With information from amna.gr
