Toxic air causes big reduction in intelligence
NEW STUDY IN CHINA SUGGESTS THAT BREATHING TOXIC AIR REGULARLY IS EQUIVALENT TO REDUCING ONE’S LEVEL OF EDUCATION BY A YEAR
Air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence, according to new research, indicating that the damage to society of toxic air is far deeper than the well-known impacts on physical health.
The research was conducted in China but is relevant across the world, with 95 per cent of the global population breathing unsafe air.
Previous research has found that air pollution harms cognitive performance in students, but this is the first to examine people of all ages and the difference between men and women.
The new work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
analysed language and arithmetic tests conducted as part of the China Family Panel Studies on 20,000 people across the nation between 2010 and 2014. The scientists compared the test results with records of particulate, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide pollution.
“Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said of Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, and one of the research team. “But we know the effect is worse for the elderly, especially those over 64, and for men, and for those with low education. If we calculate [the loss] for those, it may be a few years of education.”
“But there is no short cut to solve this issue,” he said. “Governments really need to take concrete measures to reduce air pollution. That may benefit human capital, which is one of the most important driving forces of economic growth.”
In China, air pollution is declining but remains three times above World Health Organisation limits, Chen said.
According to the World Health Organisation, 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in developing countries. China, home to several of those cities, has been engaged in a “war against pollution “for the last five years.
Small pollution particles are known to be especially damaging, he said: “That is the same wherever you live. As human beings we have more in common than is different.” Aarash Saleh, a registrar in respiratory medicine in the UK and part of the Doctors Against Diesel campaign, said: “This study adds to the concerning bank of evidence showing that exposure to air pollution can worsen our cognitive function.
“Road traffic is the biggest contributor to air pollution in residential areas and the government needs to act urgently to remove heavily-polluting vehicles from our roads.”
Rebecca Daniels, from the UK public health charity Medact, said: “The UK’s air is illegally polluted and is harming people’s health every day. Current policies are not up to the scale of the challenge: government must commit to bringing air pollution below legal limits as soon as possible. “
“This report’s findings are extremely worrying,” she added.
The UK’s air is illegally polluted and is harming people’s health every day. Current policies are not up to the scale of the challenge: government must commit to bringing air pollution below legal limits.”
Rebecca Daniels | UK public health charity Medact