What does diesel have to do with the brain? What does a car’s air filter have to do with the brain?
Through scientific experiments, experts have found that both of these have a very serious relationship with the brain. Road traffic pollution can impair human brain function within hours. A bad air filter in your car can mess up your brain functions if you stay stuck in traffic for prolonged time. If you impatiently leave your car windows open while stuck in traffic, the swirling diesel fumes will also play havoc with your brain. This is also supported by clear studies at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria.
The bottom line is that diesel fumes in the air have the potential to damage our brains. Not only that, other smoke pollutants, smoke from wildfires can impair human brain functions. The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health, show that just two hours of exposure to diesel exhaust causes a reduction in functional connectivity in the brain.
“Scientists assumed for decades that the brain was immune to the harmful effects of air pollution. Studies show that is not true,” Dr. Chris Carlston said.
This study, the first of its kind in the world, provides new evidence supporting the link between air pollution and the brain. During the experiment, researchers placed 25 healthy adults in a laboratory setting, exposed to diesel exhaust and filtered air for different periods of time. Their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after each experiment. The researchers analysed changes in interconnected brain regions in the brain’s default mode network, which plays an important role in memory and internal thinking, and fMRI revealed that the connectivity of the default mode network was widely reduced in the brain regions of those exposed to diesel exhaust.
“It is clear that altered functional connectivity in the default mode network is associated with depressive symptoms, so it is of concern that traffic pollution disrupts these same networks,” said Dr. Jody Gavriluk, professor of psychology at the University of Victoria, who provided the study.
Although more research is needed to fully understand the functional implications of these changes, experts caution that they may impair people’s thinking or ability to work. The brain changes were temporary, and subjects’ connectivity returned to normal after exposure. The study was conducted at UBC’s Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory, located at Vancouver General Hospital, equipped with a state-of-the-art exposure booth that can simulate the inhalation of a variety of air pollutants.
Dr. Chris Carlston said people should be careful about the air they breathe and take appropriate steps to reduce exposure to harmful air pollutants such as car exhaust.People who roll up their car windows when stuck in traffic may think twice, it’s important to make sure your car’s air filter is in good working order, and if you’re walking or biking down a busy street, consider detouring to a less congested route.
Although the current study examined only the cognitive effects of traffic-derived pollution, all forms of pollution are of concern. “It is now recognized that air pollution has become the greatest environmental threat to human health, with studies demonstrating impacts on all major organ systems. With neurocognitive disorders on the rise, other air pollution issues like wildfire smoke are an important warning to public health officials and policymakers.
