Does air pollution really cause individuals to suffer from depression?
- hederahelixscience
- Jun 18, 2022
- 2 min read
In the recent attention of COPA26, the conversation of climate change has been brewing in the air. Air pollution, being one of the main contributors to the major shift in the current climate, has been notorious for being detrimental to the physical health of the population such as brain damage, wheezing, chest pain and many more.
However, recent studies have shown that the effects of air pollution have much more deteriorating effects and profound impacts on greater masses of healthy individuals as current studies have examined the exposure to air pollutants which has links to cognitive impairments and increased the likelihood of a healthy individual suffering from depression.
This arises from the PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter, which contains tiny inhalable particles smaller than 2.5 microns found in vehicles and industrial sources. These particulates in combination with a genetic predisposition on the brain networks- responsible for cognition and social stress- can increase the chance of suffering from depression. Studies have shown that the risk of having depression by inheriting the risk genes is much higher than getting depression in isolation. This is because toxic nanoparticles from air pollution have been found in the brains of humans in abundant quantities.
At Queen Mary University London Professor Grigg quoted: “The association between poor air quality and mortality due to mental and behavioural disorders reported in this study is very disturbing.” It is reported that around 3 million people in the UK are depressed. There is a susceptible chance that a fraction of these sufferers were infiltrated by air pollutants.
Upon thorough research, it is important to consider the future implications this will have on society and how we, as human beings, can prevent it from another global issue.
One of the main doctors involved in this ongoing research suggested and advised that we all should minimise outdoor activities whenever pollution is high and we should be aware of the risk that we are placing ourselves as we can all be vulnerable to depression through PM2.5. However, individuals with the greater genetic risk or have family history of brain disorders should avoid themselves from the exposure of any air pollutants. Globally, leaders and public health officials should be well-informed and administer their own set of restrictions regarding reducing air pollution which would hopefully help reduce the risk of depression to the population- especially in urban areas where it is densely populated and issues are such as socio-economic and other inequalities.
Well, does air pollution really cause mental health disease? Yes, scientists believe air pollution can be one of the factors causing mental health issues in combination with other factors, hence why there is much research going on into this inquiry right now. Depression rates are increasing year after year across the world and collating as much evidence to see if there is a link between air pollution and depression or other mental health illness will ensure we can decrease what is in our control and reduce the number of people with mental health issues.
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