Dirty air in childhood ‘could cause self-harm later in life’

‘May lead to depression’

CHILDREN who live in areas of high air pollution may be more likely to go on to selfharm, a study has found.

Researchers collated the pollution levels of where 1.4million children grew up until they reached the age of ten.

They then followed up with these participants throughout their lives until the age of 37 at the oldest.

Taking into account a range of factors, such as the mental health of the child’s parents and the participant’s socioeconomic background, the researchers found that those who grew up in the most polluted areas were more likely to self-harm later on, according to hospital records.

The team at the University of Manchester suspect this is due to the inflammation caused in developing brains by air pollution and speculate that this may lead to depression and selfinjury. The study, in Preventative Medicine, was based on children born in Denmark between 1979 and 2006.

Lead researcher Dr Pearl Mok said: ‘Although air pollution is widespread, it can be reduced by taking action, and we therefore hope these findings will inform policymakers in developing strategies to clean up dirty air.’

Previous research in the UK has found 12-year-olds exposed to greater pollution are more likely to suffer depression and psychosis at the age of 18.