The Mental Effects Of Pollution

Whilst we’ve known the physical effects of air pollution being detrimental to our health, with the World Health Organization estimates that 7 million people die annually (more deaths than those from car accidents) until recently no studies or research indicated any difference to our mental wellbeing.

However, a correlation between polluted areas and increased cases of psychiatric disorders has been revealed. Although we know the age-old tale that correlation does not indicate causation, this link does show that people living in polluted areas might be at a higher risk of mental illness.

For example, a study looking at the data of 151 million people living in the US showed that in areas with the highest air pollution and lowest air quality, there was a 27% higher rate of bipolar diagnoses and a 6% higher rate of depression than the national average. This was compared to Denmark and London, where research also suggested that there was a connection between air pollution exposure during childhood and teenage depression, especially in Denmark, where, like the US, exposure to air pollution showed a correlation with higher than average rates of depression and bipolar disorder.

The author of the paper, Andrey Rzhetsky, professor of medicine and human genetics, suggested that this finding may not be as surprising as it seems, as he said: ‘Research on dogs and rodents shows air pollution can get into the brain and cause inflammation which results in symptoms resembling human depression. It’s quite possible that the same thing happens in humans.’

In fact, there have been other studies that suggest that air pollution is affecting our mental health as well as our mental capabilities. Last year, scientists in Beijing suggested that people inhaling more air pollution had lower intelligence test scores.

Climate change has been making headlines over the last few years, with younger generations leading the path to a greener world, however, air pollution isn’t something that is seen to be of the highest importance. Perhaps now knowing the effects air pollution is having on our mental and physical health will change our priorities when it comes to climate change and creating a perfect world.

Next up, How Exercise Can Help Treat Your Depression