A scientific study has shown that levels of air pollution long thought to be safe can increase the risk of health problems, including brain problems in children, especially those who were exposed to more pollutants showed changes in connectivity between different brain regions.
The results of the study, conducted by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, showed new scientific evidence that even levels of some pollutants considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency are associated with changes in brain function over time, reports Al-Rai daily.
“On average, air pollution levels are relatively low in the United States, but we still see significant effects on the brain,” said study author Devin L. Kotter.
Specifically, there are air pollutants deemed harmless by the Environmental Protection Agency that are now associated with long-term changes in the brain over time.
The researchers used brain scan data from more than 9,000 participants in the Adolescent Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, ages 9 to 10. A subset of the children’s data was collected two years later, allowing the researchers to monitor how brain connectivity changed over time.
Children who were exposed to more pollutants showed “changes in connectivity between different brain regions.” In some areas, they had more connections than usual, while in others, they had fewer connections.
“On average, air pollution levels are relatively low in the US, but we still see significant effects on the brain,” Cotter said. This is something that policy makers need to take into account when considering whether to tighten existing standards.
Kotter and his colleagues aim to look more closely at the chemical makeup of pollutants to determine how and why they cause brain damage, which may help improve regulation. They also plan to continue using data from the ABCD study to analyze brain health over time.
Study co-author Megan M. Herting warned that the effect of air quality on brain networks “may reflect an early biomarker of increased risk of cognitive and emotional problems later in life.”