Where there’s air pollution, people are more likely to have depression, according to a new study.
While it was reported that, the new research from University College London is some of the first to examine the links between mental health and air pollution globally. Looking at data from 16 countries, the study found that people exposed to high levels of pollution produced by cars and industry are about 10% more likely to suffer from depression.
The researchers figured this out by looking at studies on how air quality affects health. They found a tenuous link, too, between bad air and anxiety.
According to Vice, air pollution killed 4.2 million people, mostly in poorer countries, in 2016, according to the World Health Organization. The air is deadliest in Central African countries: 5,000 out of every 100,000 people in Chad died from breathing dirty air.
While the researchers believe there’s a link between air quality and mental health, it’s still not fully known how exactly air pollution affects the brain and whether it’s directly responsible for bumming people out.
Vice reported that, particulate-matter pollution, which comes out of exhaust pipes and smokestacks, can make its way from the air into people’s blood and brains.
It’s thought to contribute to brain swelling, nerve damage, and changes to stress hormone levels.
