A new study on people in the United Kingdom has shown that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of long-term illnesses earlier in life.
To reach this conclusion, a research team at Sun Yat-sen University used 15 years of health records from people aged 39 to 70 who volunteered to join the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010. It had information on factors such as age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and poverty, which could be included in the air pollution analysis.
The researchers tracked the first occurrence of 78 illnesses in 396,000 people. Both particulate matter and nitrogen oxides were associated with the accelerated onset of 46 out of 78 cardiovascular, respiratory, and psychological or neurological diseases.
"Our study demonstrates that air pollution is not just a risk factor for falling ill; it acts as a silent accelerator that robs individuals of their healthiest years," said the first author of the research, according to the Guardian.
"The most striking finding was the sheer breadth and severity of the impact from air pollution exposure," the author added. "We found that air pollutants were significantly associated with the accelerated onset [of] different chronic diseases, spanning almost every major organ system. We were particularly surprised by the high sensitivity of neurological and psychiatric disorders."
Other research aligns with these findings, showing exposure to air pollution can lead to or worsen many health conditions and illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, eczema, and male infertility.
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The Sun Yat-sen University team also used the data to estimate which illnesses might have been avoided if pollution in the U.K. had been lowered to meet the 2021 World Health Organization guidelines.
"By using the Accelerated Failure Time model, we were able to directly visualize how pollution 'steals' healthy years," the team explained, according to the Guardian.
It found that people in the study could have experienced 539,000 fewer total years of illness, just over one year of healthy life, on average.
As pollution worsens, more people will be exposed to higher levels of it, and thus more people will likely be sicker sooner. Many already live in places least equipped to handle the effects. This makes taking measures to reduce pollution, such as limiting reliance on polluting energy sources like gas, oil, and coal, crucial.
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"By reducing pollution, we can significantly delay the onset of multiple chronic diseases, thereby easing the immense pressure on healthcare systems and preserving societal productivity," the author said.
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