Effect of air pollution on the central nervous system: The small particle, PM2.5, can get stuck in your lungs or go into your bloodstream
The study can’t pinpoint the reason for the overall link, but others have found that exposure to air pollution may affect the central nervous system, causing inflammation and damaging the body’s cells.
Particle pollution, also known as particulate matter, is the mix of solid and liquid droplets floating in the air, the US Environmental Protection Agency says. It can be dirt, dust, soot or smoke. Coal- and natural gas-fired power plants create it, as do cars, agriculture, unpaved roads, construction sites and wildfires.
Nitrogen dioxide pollution is most commonly associated with traffic-related combustion byproducts. Nitrogen can cause damage to the human respiratory tract and impair a person’s ability to breathe. nitrogen was thought to come from diesel traffic in this study.
The smallest particulate matter included in the new study, PM2.5, is so tiny – 1/20th of a width of a human hair – that it can travel past your body’s usual defenses.
Instead of being carried out when you exhale, it can get stuck in your lungs or go into your bloodstream. The particles cause irritation and inflammation and may lead to respiratory problems. Exposure can cause cancer, stroke or heart attack; it could also aggravate asthma, and it has long been associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety.
A large-scale study of pollution effects on the blood pressure of adolescents with depression and anxiety: The UK Biobank – A longitudinal longitudinal study
A large-scale database of half a million diverse volunteers, the UK Biobank, were looked at in the new study. During the study period, 13,131 were diagnosed with depression and 15,835 were diagnosed with anxiety.
Not all pollutants are created equal. Some are more toxic than others. And for certain diseases, there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Kioumourtzoglou said.
Teens’ blood pressure changed with pollution exposure although the study doesn’t know why and it may affect the central nervous system, causing inflammation and damage to the body’s cells. It is possible that exposure to particle pollution can affect a person’s blood pressure. The study says particle pollution exposure may lower the ability of the kidneys to excrete salt in the daytime and lead to a higher nighttime blood pressure level.
Generally, low blood pressure can cause immediate problems like confusion, tiredness, blurred vision and dizziness. There is a higher risk of stroke or heart attack for adolescents with high blood pressure. It’s a leading risk factor for premature death worldwide.
Children are at higher levels of pollution than White children: A study of London, the WHO recommended levels of air pollution and communitywide solutions through public policy
However, it looks only at teens in London, and only 8% of them were people of color. The study found that children were exposed to higher levels of pollution than White children.
According to guidelines from the World Health Organization, London’s levels of pollution are safe for humans. The same could be said for most of the world. In 2019, 99% of the world’s population lived in places that did not meet WHO’s recommended air quality levels.
Some experts say that a teen can reduce their risk of pollution related health problems if they invest in portable air cleaners with high efficiency particulate air filters that are highly effective at reducing indoor air pollution. However, the filters can’t remove all of the problem, and experts say communitywide solutions through public policy are what’s needed.
A hypothesis about what these pollutants are doing to people is important according to the assistant professor inpulmonary and critical care medicine. Galiatsatos, a volunteer medical spokesperson with the American Lung Association, was not involved with the new study.
Blood pressure is an important marker to track for health because it is a surrogate to understand the more complex processes that might be happening in the body.
The toxins seem to have some impact on the cardiovascular system and any manipulation should be taken into account.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/health/pollution-teen-blood-pressure-study/index.html
On the role of quantum decoherence in the measurement of scalar vesicle amplitude and angular momentum of magnetic field in e+ e- annihilation
The study co-author hopes it will lead to more research on the topic.