Ecotoxicology and environmental safety

Worse Air Pollution Linked to Lower Thinking Skills in 176,345 Older Adults in Northwestern China

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Abstract

In a study of 176,345 elderly participants in northwestern China, long-term exposure to particulate matter and ozone was associated with poor cognitive function.

  • Higher levels of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O) were linked to increased odds of poor cognitive function as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  • Participants in the second, third, and highest quartiles of air pollutants showed consistently lower MMSE scores compared to those in the lowest quartile.
  • For every 10 µg/m³ increase in PM, the odds of poor cognitive function increased by 26%.
  • The odds of cognitive impairment related to a 10 µg/m³ increase in ozone were significantly higher, at 276%.
  • Subgroup analyses indicated stronger associations between air pollution and cognitive decline in younger participants, non-Uyghur individuals, and those who were physically active.

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Competing interests

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
PubMed

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