Air pollution not only makes breathing difficult, but can also increase the number of suicide attempts, according to Korean research reported by the New Scientist website.
A study by scientists at Yonsei University in Seoul among residents of seven major South Korean cities found that there is a link between an increase in suicides and a sudden increase in air pollution by particulate matter.
Suicide is a huge problem in South Korea, with the number of people committing an attack on their own life from 14 in 1996 to 23 in 2006. This is the largest increase in recent years in developed countries.
To assess the role of air pollution in this, scientists, led by Changsoo Kim, analyzed more than 4. 2004 suicide cases referring to airborne concentrations of particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter. This includes, for example, soot from car exhaust fumes.
As they observed, each time the level of these pollutants in the air increased, the number of suicides increased over the next two days. In the case of an increase in the concentration of solid particles by 50 percent. compared to the lowest level, the number of suicides increased by 9%, while in the group of people with heart disease by as much as 19%.
The authors of the study speculate that airborne particulate pollutants may contribute to inflammation of the nervous tissue and thus directly worsen mental health.
They also point out that in South Korea, as in many other Asian countries, cities are heavily polluted. It is not known whether the effect of airborne particulate matter levels on suicide rates would be so apparent in cities with better pollution control.
A paper on the subject appeared in the July issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The same issue also published an article by scientists from the Khaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, who in the 90s showed – in studies on 160 school-age children – that air pollution is associated with more cases of asthma.
Following their health status for over 10 years, researchers have observed that in the group of people with asthma, suicides are twice as frequent as among healthy people, and the more severe the symptoms of the disease were found at the beginning of the study, the higher the risk that the patient would attempt an attempt on his own life. (PAP)