A team of experts from the Harvard School of Public Health (USA) found that regular exposure to polluted air can increase the risk of developing depression in old age. The results of the work are described in an article published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The study examined data from almost nine million participants over the age of 64 (mean age 73.4 years) to understand whether regular exposure to polluted air can lead to mental health problems. During the 11-year follow-up period, 1.5 million subjects developed depression.

The scientists then built a model of three pollutants, which included particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. It turned out that each increase of five units of these substances was associated with a percentage increase in the risk of depression by 0.91, 0.61 and 2.13 percent, respectively. Among some groups, the researchers found varying degrees of effect depending on comorbidities and living conditions.

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The authors hope that their discovery will become the basis for new research aimed at studying possible environmental risk factors (such as air pollution and habitat) to better understand the mechanism of the disease, as well as its prevention.

In January, scientists from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria showed that even short-term exposure to exhaust air pollution leads to brain dysfunction.