Study from Mexico sounds alarm bells in Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world
As Delhi battles chill and air pollution there is more bad news, coming all the way from Mexico.
Air pollution in Mexico City has been associated with the development of Alzheimer disease in children and young adults.
A new study by researchers at the Universities of Montana, Valle de México, Boise State, Universidad Veracruzana, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría and Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research heightens, together with German company Analytik Jena, concerns over the evolving and relentless Alzheimer’s pathology observed in young Metropolitan Mexico City (MMC) urbanites. These findings have been published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Air pollution is a serious public health issue and exposures to concentrations of air pollutants at or above the current standards have been linked to neuroinflammation and high risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Mexico City children have lifetime exposures to concentrations of air pollutants above the current USA standards, including fine particulate matter (PM 2.5). Delhi on the other hand is among the top five most polluted cities in the world.
Metropolitan Mexico City is an example of extreme urban growth and serious environmental pollution and millions of children are involuntarily exposed to harmful concentrations of PM 2.5 every day since conception.
The study focused on studying 507 CSF normal samples from children, teens and young adults average age 12.8±6.7 years from MMC and control cities with low levels of air pollutants.
Drs.Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas and Lachmann said that air pollution is a serious public health issue and exposures to concentrations of air pollutants at or above the current standards have been linked to neuroinflammation and high risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The international team of researchers said efforts should be aimed to identify and mitigate environmental factors influencing the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Neuroprotection of children and young adults ought to be a public health priority to halt the development of Alzheimer in the first two decades of life.
