Professor, Department of Neurology, Dr BL Kapoor Memorial (BLK-MAX) Hospital, MAX Healthcare Rajendra Place.
Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India.
J Assoc Physicians India. 2023 Jul;71(7):11-12.
Air pollution has rapidly emerged as a major environmental hazard in recent times, with potentially catastrophic ramifications for human health.1,2 It has the ability to severely and adversely impact multiple body systems, including the central nervous system (CNS), cardiovascular, dermatological, respiratory, ophthalmologic, and gastrointestinal health. It is a global public health hazard, being responsible for an estimated 6.7 million deaths worldwide in 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 3.2 to 4.8 million persons succumb yearly because of outdoor and indoor air pollution, respectively. Nearly 90% of people worldwide live in regions where mean air pollution levels exceed acceptable ranges established by WHO.3 Air pollution is caused by several components in the air, which include particulate matter (PM), organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), inorganic compounds, gases such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). PM, in turn, is further classified based on the aerodynamic diameter of the particles: coarse particles are defined as those with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 µm (PM10), fine particles are those with a diameter <2.5 µm but above 100 nm (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles are those with diameter below 100 nm (ultrafine PM). Larger particles (PM10) are more common in industrial emissions, and smaller particles in automobile emissions. Data continues to accumulate on the adverse consequences of air pollution on brain health, with pathogenetic contributions to the development of dementia, headache, stroke, demyelinating conditions, and psychiatric disorders.
空气污染在近年来迅速成为一个主要的环境危害，对人类健康可能产生灾难性的影响。1,2 它能够严重且不利地影响多个身体系统，包括中枢神经系统（CNS）、心血管、皮肤、呼吸、眼科和胃肠道健康。它是一个全球性的公共卫生危害，据估计，2016 年全球有 670 万人因此死亡。世界卫生组织（WHO）估计，每年分别有 320 万至 480 万人因户外和室内空气污染而死亡。全球近 90%的人生活在其平均空气污染水平超过世卫组织规定的可接受范围的地区。3 空气污染是由空气中的几个成分引起的，包括颗粒物（PM）、多环芳烃（PAH）等有机化合物、无机化合物、氮氧化物（NOx）和二氧化硫（SO2）等气体。PM 又根据颗粒的空气动力学直径进一步分类：粗颗粒物定义为直径在 2.5 至 10 微米之间的颗粒物（PM10），细颗粒物定义为直径小于 2.5 微米但大于 100 纳米的颗粒物（PM2.5），超细颗粒物定义为直径小于 100 纳米的颗粒物（超细 PM）。较大的颗粒物（PM10）在工业排放中更为常见，而较小的颗粒物则在汽车排放中更为常见。空气污染对大脑健康的不良后果的数据不断积累，病原体对痴呆症、头痛、中风、脱髓鞘疾病和精神障碍的发展有贡献。
