Young people living with higher levels of air pollution are significantly more likely to have psychotic experiences, according to the first study of the issue.
Researchers analyzed the experiences of more than 2,000 17-year-olds across England and Wales, and found that those in places with higher levels of nitrogen oxides had a 70 percent higher chance of symptoms such as hearing voices or intense paranoia.
People growing up in cities were already known to have more psychotic experiences than those outside urban areas and the new work suggests toxic air is one potential reason, but the type of study done cannot prove a causal link, as other factors such as noise could be important.
Psychotic experiences are much more common in adolescents than in adults, but those having these symptoms when young are more likely to develop serious mental illnesses later.
With more people around the world living in cities every year, scientists are particularly keen to uncover the reasons for mental ill health in urban centers.
The study took into account other potential causes of psychotic experiences, such as smoking, alcohol and cannabis use, family income and psychiatric history, and measures of neighborhood deprivation.
“[Nitrogen oxides] explained about 60 percent of the association between urban living and psychotic experiences,” said Joanne Newbury at King’s College London, who led the research.
Other factors could include genetic susceptibility and experience of crime.
Nitrogen oxides come largely from diesel vehicles and are at illegal levels in most British towns and cities, with the British government having lost three times in the high court over its failure to cut pollution.
Research is linking air pollution with an increasing range of ill health, including reduced intelligence, dementia and depression, while other work has revealed air pollution can reach the brain.
“There seems to be some link between exposure to air pollution and effects in the brain, and this [new research] is perhaps another example of this,” said Frank Kelly at King’s College London, also part of the research team. “Children and young people are most vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution owing to the juvenility of the brain and respiratory system.”
The new study, published in the journal Jama Psychiatry, combined high-resolution air pollution data and psychotic experiences disclosed by the adolescents in private interviews.
One-third of the young people lived in urban areas, with one-fifth being rural and the rest suburban.
Overall, 30 percent of the young people reported at least one psychotic experience, a rate considered normal for teenage years, but psychotic experiences were significantly more common among teenagers living in the top 25 percent most polluted places.
“In areas with the highest levels of [nitrogen oxides], there were 12 teens who reported psychotic experiences for every 20 teens who did not,” Newbury said. “In areas with lower levels, there were only seven teens who reported psychotic experiences for every 20 teens who did not.”
The researchers also found a link to small particle pollution, with psychotic experiences 45 percent more common for those teenagers exposed to higher levels.
However, they said that while this first study provided good evidence, it was important other studies were done to confirm the findings.
“The study makes a valuable contribution to the growing body of evidence that air pollution may affect more than just cardiovascular and respiratory health,” said Stefan Reis, head of atmospheric chemistry and effects at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. “This new study makes a compelling case to investigate a range of mental health outcomes of air pollution exposure.”
“People living in cities are subjected to high concentrations of toxic particles and gases from exhaust fumes on a daily basis,” said Ellen Wood of the Doctors Against Diesel campaign group. “This study adds to the growing evidence that air pollution could have devastating and far-reaching consequences on our physical and mental health, that is put at further risk if policymakers do not address this public health emergency.”
“We urgently need to see policies that equitably reduce polluting vehicles on our roads, and replace them with affordable, sustainable and accessible public transport,” said Rebecca Daniels, at the global health charity Medact.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS