Air Pollution May Be Raising Alzheimer’s Risk – Time for Tighter Laws?

• Breathing in dirty air damages our lungs and hearts, but new research is showing it might change how we think, too.
• Air pollution is linked to a significant decline in cognition, and the impact increases with age, a recent study found.
• Another recent study found that Alzheimer’s rates were higher among people living in areas with heavier air pollution.

Air pollution

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions and chemicals from factories can be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it’s also called smog. Some air pollutants are poisonous.

People today live longer than they did 70 years ago, when we started pumping black soot into the atmosphere at greatly increased rates. This could at least partially account for why doctors are just now seeing all the ways air pollution affects the body over time.

Nine in 10 people globally breathe bad air, according to the World Health Organization. In the U.S., the American Lung Association puts that number at four in 10.

Regulation

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew a decades-old policy that targeted major sources of hazardous pollution. The Trump administration has been working to roll back various laws and regulations that are designed to reduce air pollution in the U.S., arguing that they inhibit economic growth.

What do you think?

Should regulators strengthen rules that limit air pollution? Why or why not? Tell your reps what you think, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / plherrera)