In areas of North Carolina where the air has higher levels of particle pollution than the World Health Origination recommends, Duke Health researchers have found that residents had elevated rates of death and hospitalizations for Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings, appearing online in PLOS ONE, are consistent with other research establishing an association between air pollution and increased risk of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Notable in the Duke team’s findings, however, were the levels of air pollution that suggest concern. The type of pollution in question is particulate matter – the tiny residue from traffic, coal burning power plants, and various industrial processes that spew into the air.