Bad air affects mental health in several ways, according to a new data review published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
BioAirNet researchers, led by Professor Kam Bhui of Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry, reviewed existing research on the impact of indoor and outdoor air pollution on life course, from birth and pregnancy, through adolescence and adulthood.
They found evidence that exposure to air pollutants can lead to depression, anxiety, psychosis, and possibly even neurocognitive disorders such as dementia.
There were also indications that children and adolescents may be exposed to air pollution at critical stages in their mental development, putting them at risk for more severe exposure and mental health problems in the future.
Additional risk factors included poor housing, overcrowding, poverty, and lack of green space, as well as individual social and psychological vulnerability such as lack of access to support, caregivers, or safe spaces.
Professor Bhoi said: “Air pollution and mental health are major challenges the world must face now and in the future. This makes this area of research a vital public health priority. Our review shows that new evidence is emerging of the link between poor air quality and poor mental health, as well as an association with certain mental disorders.
“In particular, we are talking about solid particles, including aerosols. Particulate matter is part of a complex set of environmental risk factors, including geography, deprivation, biology and individual vulnerability.”
He added: “We need more research to understand these causal relationships and explore a number of other important knowledge gaps, such as the mechanisms by which particulate matter and aerosols can exacerbate health conditions. There is very little research on indoor air quality and about how it affects health, and there is very little research specifically on bioaerosols.”
“We need better ways to measure the impact of pollution and understand how climate change affects air pollution. We also call for more longitudinal research to understand the impact on children and youth as they develop,” Bhui said.
Poor air quality has already been linked to poor physical health and the development of diseases, including some types of cancer, but so far little attention has been paid to how air pollutants affect mental health as well.
Professor Boy adds: “Changing exposure to poor air quality, both indoors and outdoors, can reduce overall levels of ill health. However, given the higher rates of serious mental illness in places with the most air pollution, especially in poor and urban areas, links between cancer and serious mental illness, for example, may have common causes and risk factors that need to be understood and addressed.”
Source: Medical Express
