Air Quality and Mental Health

Air pollution, including particulate matter from forest fires, is a leading cause of health problems globally. It is also linked to psychiatric problems in children and adolescents. We take a closer look at the evidence and clinical implications in this episode.

Published On: 9/17/2020

Duration: 14 minutes, 51 seconds

Resources:

* CDC - Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials [Link (https://www.cdc.gov/air/default.htm)]

* EPA - Technical Air Pollution Resources [Link (https://www.epa.gov/technical-air-pollution-resources)]

Studies:

* Brockmeyer S, D'Angiulli A. How air pollution alters brain development: the role of neuroinflammation. Transl Neurosci. 2016;7(1):24-30. Published 2016 Mar 21. doi:10.1515/tnsci-2016-0005 [Link (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28123818/)]

* Miller, J. G., Gillette, J. S., Manczak, E. M., Kircanski, K., & Gotlib, I. H. (2019). Fine Particle Air Pollution and Physiological Reactivity to Social Stress in Adolescence: The Moderating Role of Anxiety and Depression. Psychosomatic medicine, 81(7), 641–648. [Link (https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000714)]

* Suades-González E, Gascon M, Guxens M, Sunyer J. Air Pollution and Neuropsychological Development: A Review of the Latest Evidence. Endocrinology. 2015;156(10):3473-3482. doi:10.1210/en.2015-1403 [Link (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26241071/)]

* Khreis H, Cirach M, Mueller N, et al. Outdoor air pollution and the burden of childhood asthma across Europe. Eur Respir J. 2019;54(4):1802194. Published 2019 Oct 31. doi:10.1183/13993003.02194-2018 [Link (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31391220/)]

* Pateraki E, Vance Y, Morris PG. The Interaction Between Asthma and Anxiety: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Young People's Experiences. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2018;25(1):20-31. doi:10.1007/s10880-017-9528-5 [Link (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29322289/)]

* Richardson LP, Lozano P, Russo J, et al. Asthma symptom burden: relationship to asthma severity and anxiety and depression symptoms. Pediatrics. 2006 Sep;118(3):1042-1051. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2006-0249. [Link (https://europepmc.org/article/med/16950996)]

* Harold J. Farber, Judith Groner, Susan Walley, Kevin Nelson and SECTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL Pediatrics November 2015, 136 (5) e1439-e1467 [Link (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/5/e1439)]

* Orru K, Nordin S, Harzia H, Orru H. The role of perceived air pollution and health risk perception in health symptoms and disease: a population-based study combined with modelled levels of PM10. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2018;91(5):581-589. doi:10.1007/s00420-018-1303-x [Link (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6002462/)]

* Wu X, Nethery RC, Sabath BM, Braun D, Dominici F. Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Preprint. medRxiv. 2020;2020.04.05.20054502. Published 2020 Apr 7. doi:10.1101/2020.04.05.20054502 [