But pollution affects other parts of the body as well—researchers are increasingly linking exposure to diseases of the brain. The latest evidence is a large
study, published this week, finding declining cognitive ability in people—especially the elderly—who breathe in pollutants regularly over time.
The researchers administered math and verbal tests to 250,000 people 10 and older from across China, once in 2010 and again in 2014. During that time, the researchers found, participants’ scores fell. After controlling for other variables, the researchers were able to connect those cognitive losses to pollution exposure. The declines were especially pronounced for older people, a finding that squares with
this 2015 Mother Jones feature by Aaron Reuben about the connection between air pollution and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
