New Study Shows That Air Pollution in Cities May Make Us Dumber

A new scientific study from American and Chinese researchers at Yale and Peking University has shown that chronic air pollution, especially in growing urban areas, may harm and possibly even decrease cognitive intelligence. According to the environmental scientific research published on Tuesday, August 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the official science journal of the National Academy of Sciences, the long-term breathing of polluted air has is causing a decrease in verbal and mathematical tests. Furthermore, the study also says that older aging residents and less educated men are at more risk of the mental effects related to excess air pollution such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

As the global population continues to gradually expand and relocated to urbanized areas, the causes and effects of air pollution, as well as land and water pollution, are expected to rise. According to recent statistics from the World Organization, about 7 million people die each from air pollution exposure, 91% of the world’s population reside in locations where the air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits, and more than 90% of the world’s population breathe polluted air. While air pollution is more likely contributing to respiratory diseases or conditions, cardiac diseases and conditions, diabetes, cancers, cognitive diseases or conditions, and climate change, recent studies have also shown that air pollution is also causing premature skin aging.