Air Pollution Linked to Dementia and Parkinson's in Brain Studies

A review of recent research suggests microscopic particles bypass the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue. People with the highest exposure to fine particles were 14% more likely to develop dementia, and records of 56 million Americans linked pollution to Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

• Fine-particle exposure raised dementia risk by 14% in UK Biobank data
• Particles were found in the amygdala of people who died aged 80–91
• Diesel exhaust altered over 1,200 genes, similar to 9/11 dust
• Analysis of 56 million hospital records tied pollution to Parkinson's disease