Exposure to high levels of air pollution and noise pollution during pregnancy, early childhood, and adolescence is associated with higher rates of psychotic experiences, depression, and anxiety, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
The findings further revealed that exposure to fine particulate matter or PM2.5 could be linked to an increased prevalence of depression and during pregnancy, exposure was linked to children having more psychotic experiences. “Early-life exposure could be detrimental to mental health given the extensive brain development and epigenetic processes that occur in utero and during infancy. Air pollution could negatively affect mental health via numerous pathways, including by compromising the blood-brain barrier, promoting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and directly entering the brain and damaging tissue,” the authors wrote.
“Childhood and adolescent noise pollution exposure could increase anxiety by increasing stress and disrupting sleep, with high noise potentially leading to chronic physiological arousal and disruption to endocrinology,” they added. “Noise pollution could also impact cognition, which could increase anxiety by impacting concentration during school years. It was interesting that noise pollution was associated with anxiety but not with psychotic experiences or depression.”
To investigate how different forms of pollution can impact mental health, lead author Joanne Newbury at the University of Bristol and colleagues analyzed the data of 9,065 participants who were born in Southwest England from 1991 to 1993. The researchers followed up with the participants and examined how their exposure to air and noise pollution could be associated with mental disorders from the time the participants were 13 years to 24 years old.
“Childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood are critical periods for the development of psychiatric disorders: worldwide, nearly two-thirds of individuals affected become unwell by 25 years of age. Identifying early-life risk factors is a crucial research challenge in developing preventative interventions and improving lifelong mental health trajectories,” the authors explained.
They observed that at 13 years of age, 13.6% of participants reported psychotic experiences during interviews, at 18 years, 9.2% and at 24 years, 12.6% of them had psychotic experiences. A lower number of participants reported feeling depressed and anxious at 13 years (5.6% for depression and 3.6% for anxiety) and 18 years of age (7.9% and 5.7% for anxiety).
“Air pollution comprises toxic gases and particulate matter (ie, organic and inorganic solid and liquid aerosols) of mostly anthropogenic origin. Understanding the potential effect of air pollution on mental health is increasingly crucial, given the human and societal cost of poor mental health, the global shift toward urban living, and the backdrop of emissions-induced climate change,” the authors added.
According to the World Health Organization, 93% of children across the world breathe toxic air every single day. The WHO further estimated that in 2016, over 600,000 children died due to acute lower respiratory infections caused by air pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
In a 2018 press release, WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives. This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfill their full potential.”
