AIR POLLUTION AND ANXIETY
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Numerous studies in recent years suggest a relationship between particulate air pollution (particularly particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers [PM2.5]) and health conditions, especially heart and respiratory.
A health condition increasingly common in recent years is anxiety, which causes a reduced quality of life, and it is a disorder which contribute external factors.
Melinda C. Power, from the Johns Hopkins University (Maryland, USA), and colleagues studied data collected over 71, 271 women, aged 57-85 years, stated at the Nurses Health Study. The team used geographic data and national weather to determine the exposure to particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-10), the estimate of five periods (one month, three months, six months, one year and 15 years) before the assessment of anxiety. The team has also calculated the distance from the address of residence to the nearest road main, a common indicator to assess exposure to air pollution. Study participants completed a questionnaire that included eight questions related to anxiety self-assessment on the symptoms, including fear, desire to escape and tendency to worry. After adjustment for confounding factors, the analysis of the data revealed that about 15% of women have experienced symptoms of anxiety high. Exposure to particulate matter has been linked to a higher risk of anxiety. Also, women who lived 50 to 200 meters from a main road were more likely to have symptoms of anxiety higher than those who lived more than 200 meters from a main road.
Furthermore, there was a significant association with the anxiety, with strongest effects after the first month of exposure.
The study's authors warn that: "Exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) has been associated with high anxiety symptoms, with exhibitions closest potentially more hazardous exposures far."
Source: Worldhealth
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