BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua):Long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution increases the risk of cognitive decline and may prematurely result in Alzheimer's disease, according to a new scientific study.
The results, which were published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, show that air pollution, such as PM2.5, ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide, can induce neurotoxic reactions and may exert adverse effects on human cognitive health.
The study was conducted by an international team led by Chinese researchers from the Shanghai-based Huashan Hospital of Fudan University. They used data from 31,573 participants in a survey concerning health and aging, the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, and 1,131 participants from a cohort study on Alzheimer's disease.
They found that a rise of 20 micrograms per cubic meter in PM2.5 exposure could lead to a 10 percent increased risk of cognitive decline, and exposures to ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide yielded elevated risk but with non-significant estimates.
The study revealed that long-term exposure to PM2.5 resulted in an increased risk of cognitive decline, which may be partly explained by brain amyloid accumulation indicative of increased Alzheimer's disease risk.
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