When we think about polluted air, we face diseases of the lungs and respiratory system. Meanwhile, the smog offense list is much longer. We talk with Dr. Marcin Szwed from the Jagiellonian University, the head of the NeuroSmog project, about the impact of smog on the brain and our well-being.
- Smog affects our brain in two ways, both are equally dangerous. The effects of exposure to polluted air accumulate over the years, causing damage to this organ and increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases
- – When it is all nasty flying in the air, the chances that someone will “fall apart” enough that he will want to take his own life increases
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Magda Zmna, Medonet: There is a lot of talk about smog in the context of lung diseases and the respiratory system in general, but research also shows that polluted air has an impact on our brain and the functioning of the nervous system. How does smog affect the brain?
Dr hab. Marcin Szwed: Smog affects our brain in two ways. The first one is related to the accumulation of smog effects, i.e. exposure to this pollution for a long time. Smog hits the hardest in the prenatal period, but its effects cumulate over the years and cause disturbances in the normal development of the brain and nervous system and problems in children – behavior, concentration, attention, ADHD. In the elderly, it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. This is an effect that takes years to accumulate, interfere with brain maturation, or damage parts of the brain that then begin to fail with age. These are the effects that we partially know about, that we investigate more closely in NeuroSmog, and for which there is more and more evidence. But there is another way that smog affects our brain.
What is it about?
This phenomenon is less described, research on this subject began to appear about 5-10 years ago. This is a different story, but equally gloomy, because we are talking about the effect that when the smog goes up, when air pollution increases, the mood immediately worsens within a few days, and psychiatric departments record more admissions due to depression , suicide attempts, anxiety attacks.
So we have two different malevolent smog actions. On the one hand, this smog that accumulates over the years, which damages the brain already at the stage of fetal life, but also in childhood affects our thinking and concentration abilities, and at a later age increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. It is something that accumulates for years and “gnaws” our brain.
On the other hand, we have this effect almost immediately, when the level of smog increases due to all the pollutants flowing out of the chimneys and exhaust pipes, we immediately get a worse mood over the course of a few days. Again, these are the consequences that hit the most sensitive people, that is, young people and the elderly.
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So it can be concluded that smog is a risk factor for the development of depression and other mental disorders?
Yes, there is research for that. One American study, which was carried out with a huge amount of work, tracked the mood of several thousand elderly people over a period of several weeks. It turned out that when air pollution increased, the mood of the respondents decreased, they developed depression and anxiety attacks.
Another study shows what is happening in psychiatric wards for adolescents in the United States. And in this analysis we can see that if smog hits, the number of admissions of children due to suicide attempts, anxiety attacks, psychoses also increases. Smog is the factor that triggers it – it contributes to deterioration of the mood, to the intensification of depression and anxiety. When all that stuff is flying in the air, the chances of someone “falling apart” enough to take their own lives increases.
In these studies, we can see that smog hit the most vulnerable children to mental problems, for example because they grow up in difficult families that have problems with money, for example. This group of children was especially prone to depressed mood when air pollution is rising.
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I have the impression that we rarely take into account the fact that smog affects our brain, both in this long-term and immediate context. Usually, other causes are searched for, e.g. concentration disorders or depression risk factors. Where does this ignoring the impact of smog come from?
The list of smog sins is very long – from infertility, through prematurity, early childhood cancer, lung diseases, heart diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. Most of these examples do not concern the brain, but unfortunately the effect of smog on the brain must be added to this “list of offenses”. These are things that have been studied for over a dozen years already. One must remember that, for example, ADHD is a disease of civilization, and diseases of civilization have many factors, from genetics to the social environment. By examining a large number of people and properly building the study, it can also be said that, unfortunately, smog also contributes to this. It hits the brain, especially in children and the elderly.
How can we protect ourselves against this adverse effect of smog?
All we can do is reduce the production of pollutants. These are long-term actions that make sense. Yes, you can have a purifier at home, you can change your place of residence, which is not so easy, because smog is almost everywhere, but you really need to reduce this smog. Actions are being taken in this direction, but more needs to be done.
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Do you have this feeling that we are going in the right direction? Is it still too slow and too little?
It is certainly too slow and too little, while the very direction of these changes is good. An example is the changes in Krakow. It turned out that it was possible to introduce and enforce a ban on burning coal in domestic stoves. Thanks to this, the air has improved a lot. But these changes need to be carried out further – to move away from coal in heating single-family houses, because this is what poisons us the most. It can all be done, but… you have to take it seriously.
Smog is something we have to deal with, we have the resources and we know what to do. It is only necessary to start doing this and carry out these changes in solidarity, so that those who are most vulnerable economically do not have to pay the highest price for these changes. These coal furnace replacements should be reimbursed 100%. and the fact that the company just comes and changes the stove, without taking a penny for it.
(born in 1976) studied biology at the Jagiellonian University. He received his doctorate in 2006 from the Department of Neurobiology of the Weizmann Institute in Israel. He continued his research work during an internship in France, collaborating with prof. Stanislas Dehaene (Inserm Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Saclay) and Laurent Cohen (Brain and Spine Institute, ICM, Salpétrière Hospital, Paris, France). In 2011, he returned to Poland and set up a research team at the Institute of Psychology of the Jagiellonian University, conducting research on brain plasticity. He obtained his habilitation in 2012. Laureate of the HOMING PLUS and TEAM-NET programs of the Foundation for Polish Science. In 2016, he received the National Science Center Award.
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