Air Pollution Emerges As a Direct Risk Factor For Alzheimer's Disease
- Reference: 0180820450
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/02/18/044252/air-pollution-emerges-as-a-direct-risk-factor-for-alzheimers-disease
- Source link:
> In a study of nearly 28 million older Americans, long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution [2]raised the risk of Alzheimer's disease . That link held even after researchers accounted for common conditions like high blood pressure, stroke and depression. Fine particle air pollution, known as PM2.5, consists of tiny particles in the air that come from car exhaust, power plants, wildfires, and burning fuels, according to the American Lung Association. They are small enough to travel deep into the lungs and even reach the bloodstream.
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> The research, conducted at Emory University and published in PLOS Medicine, tracked health data over nearly two decades to explore whether air pollution harms the brain indirectly by causing high blood pressure or heart disease, which, in turn, leads to dementia. However, these "middleman" conditions accounted for less than 5% of the connection between pollution and Alzheimer's, the research found. The researchers say this suggests that over 95% of the Alzheimer's risk comes from the direct impact of breathing in dirty air, likely through inflammation or damage to brain cells.
"The relationship between PM2.5 and AD [Alzheimer's disease] has been shown to be pretty much linear," said Kyle Steenland, a professor in the departments of environmental health and epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and senior author of the study. "The reason this is particularly important is that PM2.5 is known to be associated with high blood pressure, stroke and depression -- all of which are associated with AD. So, from a prevention standpoint, simply treating these diseases will not get rid of the problem. We have to address exposure to PM2.5."
[1] https://slashdot.org/~walterbyrd
[2] https://abcnews.com/US/air-pollution-emerges-direct-risk-factor-alzheimers-disease/story?id=130220279
Say goodbye to the endangerment finding (Score:5, Insightful)
Just as well [1]no-one is gutting climate policy [cnn.com] so the fossil fuel industry can shit all over everything.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-repeals-epa-endangerment-finding
Re:Say goodbye to the endangerment finding (Score:5, Interesting)
Coal plants emit dirty, deadly shit. Global Warming isn't the only reason to shut them down.
So this isn't about saving the planet in 20 years time, it's about saving American lives now:
"The team estimated that between 1999 and 2020, 460,000 deaths would not have occurred in the absence of emission from the coal power plants."
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/deaths-associated-pollution-coal-power-plants
Re: (Score:1)
The endangerment finding named in the link above is about carbon dioxide
Re: (Score:2)
I tease people about being anti-nuclear when coal and natural gas pump more radiation into the air than nuclear ever did, even from accidents. I still use natural gas for cooking, and I can't go outside without breathing coal pollution (the nearest power plant is coal). Sometimes I even use a coal grill.
Re: (Score:2)
So pollution is OK then? In fact you appear to support pollution. It's fine. It's a good thing.
Are you an idiot?
Stop breathing for 5 minutes and you will feel better.
Re: Stopped Trusting Medical Science after Covid L (Score:2)
Make that 10 minutes. Cheers!
Re: Stopped Trusting Medical Science after Covid L (Score:2)
Don't you have some street corner to be ranting on?
Not like this is some yuge or unexpected news (Score:2)
Here's basically the same stuff from 5 years ago [1]https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]
Also, [2]a link to the study [plos.org], and not the interpretation of some half-educated journo and his chat-gpt friend is always appreciated.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27049-2
[2] https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004912
There's one good thing about alzheimer's... (Score:2, Funny)
You're always meeting new people.
Re:There's one good thing about alzheimer's... (Score:4, Insightful)
(I know you were not trying to be very serious, so don't take it as a criticism). My experience with relatives who were informal caregivers is more varied
In one case, my friend was the niece of the affected person, who supposedly had not met in a long time. The patient was therefore constantly (repeatedly) happy to rejoin with her long-lost niece.
In another case, the affected person was constantly concerned of not being in her house (she was in elderly care during the day), and being separated from her husband (already deceased). The disease had to be a confusing and stressful experience, being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people for reasons she could not understand.