A large-scale study carried out by the National Bureau of Economic Research to examine deaths across the US between 2003 and 2010 has found that an increase in daily PM2.5 – a fine particulate matter capable of entering the bloodstream via the lungs – of one microgram per cubic metre was associated with an almost 0.5 per cent increase in daily suicides and a monthly PM2.5 increase at the same level was associated with a 50 per cent rise in suicide-related hospitalisations.
This is coming on the back of the World Health Organization’s report that shows air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths every year and it has also increased the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer and may even alter foetus development while there is also growing evidence that air pollution also affects the brain and behaviour.
Small particulate matter can enter the lungs and reduce the flow of oxygen into the bloodstream and this could impact productivity, strategic choices, academic performance and mental health, the study found.
The study further showed that fine particulate matter can greatly increase levels of cytokines – neurotransmitters produced in response to infection and inflammation that are also associated with depression and suicide. Pollution has been associated with inflammation of the brain, which may disrupt mood regulation.
The researchers, Persico and Marcotte of Washington DC’s American University, matched daily data on suicide counts by the county to air quality data, using wind direction as an instrument for pollution exposure and they are set out to explore the impact of air pollution on mood in more depth.
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The study discovered that heightened levels of PM2.5 are linked to more self-reported depressive symptoms, as well as finding increases in daily suicide rates and monthly suicide-related hospitalisations.
Meanwhile, according to the European Environment Agency, air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing potentially deadly cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Despite improvements in air quality across the EU, in 2019 and 2020 air pollutants often exceeded EU air quality standards and WHO guideline levels.
Those living in big cities tend to be exposed to higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide due to traffic emissions, however, this exposure to air pollutants varies by country and environment.
For example, in central and eastern Europe, solid fuels burnt for domestic heating and industry result in the highest concentrations of particulate matter and the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, meaning Southern Europeans are exposed to the highest concentrations of ozone, the formation of which is driven by sunlight.
According to reports, air quality improved slightly in 2020, most likely due to weather patterns and the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Story was adapted from Euronews.
