Inhaling exhaust fumes damages the brain in just 2 hours

Photo: EPA / ANDY RAIN

Even brief exposure to polluted air has rapid and measurable effects on the human brain, a new study has found.

Breathing in polluted air can affect the way your brain is wired, and scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria have found that breathing in car exhaust can change your brain's wiring within two hours. , he writes "Science alert" (Science alert).

The findings are based on a randomized, double-blind trial of 25 healthy adults exposed to car pollution in a laboratory setting. In the second phase, the participants were also exposed to clean filtered air.

Brain scans were taken before and after each scenario. After the participants were exposed to air pollution, their brains showed reduced connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), a set of interconnected brain regions that are most active when dealing with internal thoughts, such as introspection and remembering.

These findings haven't been seen before in humans, and while the current study didn't test the effects it might have on brain power, other research has.

Previous studies, for example, have linked altered brain connectivity to reduced working memory and job performance.

"It's worrying to see how traffic pollution disrupts these same networks," says neuropsychologist Jody Gavryluk of the University of Victoria.

"Although more research is needed to fully understand the functional impacts of these changes, it is possible that they may impair people's thinking or ability to work."

The good news is that the changes seen in the study were temporary and returned to normal once clean air passed through the lungs.

However, the findings point to a possible pathway through which chronic exposure to air pollution may have harmful effects on the brain.

With up to 99 percent of the world breathing unsafe levels of air pollution, the consequences for public health could be profound.

In China, recent studies have linked air pollution to poorer language and math test scores, reducing the average education by a year.

"For decades, scientists thought that the brain could be protected from the harmful effects of air pollution," explains UBC respiratory physician Chris Carlsten.

"This study, which is the first of its kind in the world, provides fresh evidence supporting a link between air pollution and cognition."

In 2020, markers associated with Alzheimer's disease were observed in the brains of young adults, children and even babies living in Mexico City – an urban center that experiences extreme air pollution. (Recent data shows that air quality improved significantly during periods of covid-19 "lockdown" when vehicle movement, and thus emissions, were reduced.)

Other research in the same city also found a possible trigger for that damage: metal nanoparticles of air pollution in the brains of many local residents.

Scientists confirmed in 2022 that these particles, once inhaled, can sometimes bypass the brain's protective barrier, which was once thought to keep the toxic material out.

The current study relied only on car exhaust fumes, but there may be other forms of air pollution that act even faster and with worse effects.

Before leaded gas was banned in the United States, for example, researchers estimated that the toxic fumes were inhaled by 170 million Americans or more, resulting in a cumulative IQ loss of 824 million points (nearly 3 points per person).

Gas may be free of lead today, but that doesn't mean it's safe for your lungs or your brain.

"People might want to think twice the next time they're stuck in traffic with the windows down," warns Carlsten.

"It's important to make sure your car's air filter is in good working order, and if you're walking or cycling on a busy street, consider diverting to a less busy route."

For most of the world, however, polluted air is unavoidable. We need to know what it does to our brain long term.

The study was published in Environmental Health.

 

Dear reader,

Our access to web content is free, because we believe in equality in information, regardless of whether someone can pay or not. Therefore, in order to continue our work, we ask for the support of our community of readers by financially supporting the Free Press. Become a member of Sloboden Pechat to help the facilities that will enable us to deliver long-term and quality information and TOGETHER let's ensure a free and independent voice that will ALWAYS BE ON THE PEOPLE'S SIDE.

SUPPORT A FREE PRESS.
WITH AN INITIAL AMOUNT OF 60 DENARS

Video of the day