Air Pollution Can Cause Permanent Damage
First the bad news. Studies show that air pollution, particularly in heavy concentrations, negatively affect our brains. Now... the good news! We may not be able to remember, because our cognitive memory could be impaired along with our problems solving and judgement skills.
We have well documented knowledge that air pollution causes respiratory and circulatory problems. Now, new research is pointing a finger at air pollution inflaming and causing permanent damage to the brain. With such evidence, precaution should be taken to purify the air within the home with a high quality air purifier. The air purifiers from the Austin Air Purifier family will help.
Air Quality & Brain Function Studies
Animal studies began over ten years ago. Back in 2003, at the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, researchers presented evidence that dogs exposed to high levels of air pollution experienced damaged brain cell genes within weeks of air pollution exposure. In this study, there were two groups: one exposed to highly polluted air in Mexico City and the other, placed in less-polluted rural parts of the city. Over 200 dogs participated in this study which found dogs exposed to high levels of pollution suffered lung and upper respiratory damage that lead to brain cell gene and DNA damage. Brain lesions, even in the young dogs, formed that are similar to those of human Alzheimer's patients.
Over the last several years, there have been correlating studies on the impact of air pollution on the brain concluding that air pollution takes a health toll. Toxicologist Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas from Mexico's National Institute of Pediatrics and the University of Montana, conducted a long-term study of air pollution involving 55 middle-class children from Mexico City, a highly polluted site. Her work found inordinate brain inflammation in the form of lesions that are indicators of reduced blood flow, often found in older adults who are developing dementia. The children study population "exhibit cognitive impairments in memory, problem solving, and judgment . . . compared with age-matched children from a cleaner city [74 miles] away" says Science News.
400 septuagenarian women were studied by a German research team and those found within a 50 yards of busy streets had reduced memory skill compared to those further away. Harvard School of Public Health researchers tracked 200 10-year-olds and found that as the exposure to airborne soot increased, the poorer the kids performed on IQ and memory tests.
Dr. Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, University of North Carolina, believes air pollution that enters the body causes inflammation in the respiratory tract. She explains how tiny airborne particles and metals enter the central nervous system and brain and ultimately causes oxidative damage and DNA changes in brain cells. The pollution reduces or in some cases eliminates the vital blood-brain barrier which keeps toxic substances away from the brain, allowing pollutants to directly enter to your brain.
Reducing the Risk With Air Purifiers
With the growing evidence that air pollution affects our health, particularly our brain, we need to try to remember that we can take action to reduce risk with high quality air purifiers that are capable of removing air contamination. The Austin Air Purifier family of air cleaners may not help us remember, but they do remove the source of contamination that can destroy the cells in the brain.
