Air pollution is linked to the increased severity of mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind involving 13,000 people in London. The findings were likely to apply to most cities in developed nations, and cutting air pollution could benefit millions of people.
A relatively small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide led to a 32% increase in the risk of needing community-based treatment and an 18% increase in the risk of being admitted to hospital.
Prof Kevin McConway of the Open University, who was not part of the study team, said, "it’s not easy for people to avoid pollution. Reducing air pollution in cities needs communal action on a broad scale.”
A separate new study has shown that heart attacks rise as the level of air pollution rises. The research examined data from southern Lombardy in Italy, an area with 1.5 million inhabitants.
Air pollution linked to more severe mental illness – study | Air pollution | The Guardian
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