Almost no area of land on Earth has levels of air pollution deemed safe by the World Health Organisation, a new study has found.
A team at the University of British Columbia says brain scans show increased impairments in brain function after exposure to traffic pollution. In fact, signs of decreased brain function can start to appear in as little as two hours.
There is a twofold increase in terms of common mental disorder cases directly attributable to residential annual exposures to PM2.5 greater than 15.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
The new research builds on a 2017 study that showed that long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution and ozone increases the risk of premature death among the elderly in the U.S.
The study reports monetary estimates for the main children health problems that are consequences of early exposure to air pollution, 80 percent of which is attributable to burning of coal, oil, diesel and gas.
The discovery of abundant toxic nanoparticles from air pollution in human brains was made in 2016. A comprehensive global review earlier in 2019 concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body.
Air quality in Bangkok is hovering at unhealthy levels as the amount of PM 2.5 exceeded the safe level. Wednesday’s Air Quality Index in Bangkok was 175 at midday.
