Air pollution may increase risk of dementia by 92%
Air pollution could raise the risk of dementia by as much as 92%, with the microscopic toxic particles released from vehicles infiltrating brain cells and causing dangerous inflammation. Researchers from the University of Southern California analysed data from 3,647 women between the ages of 65 to 79 who did not have dementia. The research found that those living in heavily polluted areas were 81% more likely to develop cognitive decline, and 92% more likely to develop dementia if exposed to officially unsafe levels of pollution.

Invisible particles in the air we breathe may elevate the risk of dementia by 92 per cent, experts have warned.

Toxic fumes from cars and power plants are infiltrating brain cells, causing them to swell in response.

This leaves the brain at risk of succumbing to the devastating condition, according to a new study.

Experts believe that dangerous levels of pollution in cities could actually be responsible for a fifth of global dementia cases.

And scientists also discovered the risk was greater for women - especially if they possess a well-known 'dementia gene'.

Toxic fumes from cars and power plants are infiltrating brain cells and increasing the risk of dementia, experts have warned

Researchers from the University of Southern California analysed data of 3,647 women between 65 to 79 who didn't have dementia.

'Microscopic particles generated by fossil fuels get into our body directly through the nose into the brain,' said study co-author Professor Caleb Finch.

'Cells in the brain treat these particles as invaders and react with inflammatory responses, which over the course of time, appear to exacerbate and promote Alzheimer's disease.

'Although the link between air pollution and Alzheimer's disease is a new scientific frontier, we now have evidence that air pollution, like tobacco, is dangerous to the aging brain.'

The study, which was published in the Translational Psychiatry journal, is the first of its kind conducted in the US.

It noted that women who live in heavily polluted areas - such as near main roads or busy city centres are 81 per cent more at risk for cognitive decline.

Theory: According to the data, pollution could be responsible for a fifth of dementia cases

While they are also 92 per cent more likely to develop dementia if they are exposed to levels deemed unsafe by health officials.

And it also found that women with the APOE4 gene - a variation that increases the risk of Alzheimer's - were most at risk.

AIR POLLUTION CRISIS Air pollution which plagues the UK threatens the human rights of children, a United Nations expert has warned. There is an urgent need for the Government to protect children and other at-risk groups from the air pollution 'crisis' which causes serious health problems, special rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes Baskut Tuncak said. The Government has repeatedly been taken to court over its failure to meet EU standards on air pollution and has admitted it might not meet the rules in London and some other cities until 2025. Advertisement !- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/ru/health/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->

Worldwide, nearly 48 million people suffer from dementia, and there are 7.7 million new cases every year, according to the World Health Organization.

Earlier this year, scientists in Canada found that living close to a busy road increases the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 12 per cent.

They tracked the progress of six million adults for 11 years found a clear trend with dementia incidence rising the nearer people lived to main roads.

Compared with those whose homes were more than 300 metres away, people living within 50 metres of heavy traffic had a 7 per cent higher risk of developing dementia.

While Danish researchers earlier this year found expectant mothers living close to busy roads are at greater risk of serious complications in pregnancy.

Pre-eclampsia – a condition suffered by 42,000 pregnant women in Britain each year – is made more likely by noise and pollution from roads.