Air pollution increases risk of serious mental illness and lowers intelligence: Study

According to a study, air pollution is connected to the increased severity of mental disease. A relatively little increase in nitrogen dioxide exposure led to a 32 per cent rise in the requirement for community-based therapy and an 18 per cent increase in the probability of being admitted to hospital, which involved 13,000 people in London.

Patients with psychotic are more likely to be hospitalised

Researchers from King's College London and Imperial College London discovered that patients with psychotic and mood disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression who were exposed to more air pollution were more likely to be hospitalised or require community-based treatment than those who were not. The researchers discovered that greater levels of nitrogen dioxide in people's houses increased their chances of needing mental health therapy, with smaller increases for other prevalent pollutants including nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

According to Forbes, the researchers discovered that people exposed to a 15 micrograms per cubic metre increase in nitrogen dioxide levels over a year had an 18% higher risk of being admitted to hospital and a 32% higher risk of needing outpatient care after reviewing the medical records of nearly 14,000 patients in London. The researchers also discovered that a 3g/m3 increase in fine particulate matter increased the risk of outpatient therapy by 7% and inpatient treatment by 11% over the course of a year.

When the scientists examined the data of the same patients seven years later, the correlation remained, and the researchers concluded that there does not appear to be an explanation for the phenomenon, but they did not rule it out. The study, while focused on a specific location of London, is likely to apply to cities all over the world because the area examined mirrors not just the air pollution patterns of the entire city, but also those of all large cities with substantial diesel vehicles traffic.

Heart attacks also increase with air pollution  

According to a second new study, heart attacks increase when air pollution levels rise. The study looked at data from southern Lombardy in Italy, which has a population of 1.5 million people.

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