Air Pollution Boosts Alzheimer's Risk for Women, USC Study Finds

NBC4 says a University of Southern California (USC) study published in Neurology found older women who live in areas with high concentrations of air pollution may have more Alzheimer's-like brain shrinkage than those living in areas with cleaner air. "Our study found that women in their 70s and 80s who were exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate pollution) outdoors were more likely to have the pattern of brain atrophy that would increase their risk for Alzheimer's disease over five years," said USC's Diana Younan. The investigators considered 712 women who underwent magnetic resonance imaging brain scans at the start of the study, and again five years later. There was a 0.03-point increase in brain shrinkage scores for each three-microgram boost in air pollution exposure levels that may elevate the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 24 percent over five years. Younan said the results have "important public health implications" because brain shrinkage was detected not only in women exposed to the highest levels of fine particulate pollution, but also in those exposed to levels lower than those the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems safe. "While more research is needed, federal efforts to tighten the air pollution exposure standards in the future may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's in our older populations," she explained.