"Residing in places with fine PM (particulate matter) exceeding EPA standards increased the risks for global cognitive decline and all-cause dementia respectively by 81 and 92%," according to a major study of over 3,600 older American women, all of whom started the study without dementia. And women with a gene that causes a higher risk of Alzheimer's were almost three times as likely to develop dementia if they lived in a higher-pollution area, compared to women with the same gene in areas with low air pollution.
For more information see:
- The surprising link between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease, Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2017;
- Air pollution may lead to dementia in older women, ScienceDaily, January 31, 2017;
- The original scientific article: Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models (open access article), in Translational Psychiatry, January 31, 2017.
Comment: we checked global air pollution maps at http://www.aqicn.org/search and found that the U.S. is doing surprisingly well among industrialized countries, even in most urban areas such as New York City. Much of China is very bad, with 10 or more times the average U.S. air pollution. Many places in Mexico, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere are similarly bad. We suggest checking air-pollution maps before planning extensive trips abroad.
This U.S. success is not an accident, but is due to the Clean Air Act and the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Today all three branches of government are controlled by a political party that is an enemy of both. China shows what happens when you let industry use the Earth's atmosphere as a free, unlimited hazardous-waste dump.
Photo: Beijing, http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentaroiemoto/12691254574/
