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Exposure to air pollution, even over the course of just a few weeks, can impede mental performance, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, these adverse effects were lessened in people taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin. The study is among the first to explore short-term air pollution exposures and the use of NSAIDs to mitigate their effects. The results are published in the journal
Nature Aging.
Examples of events that would increase someone s exposure to air pollution over the short term could include forest fires, smog, second-hand cigarette smoke, charcoal grills, and gridlock traffic.
Even low levels of air pollution can harm hearts, lungs in elderly
Long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution even levels below national standards can increase the risk of several serious cardiac and respiratory conditions in elderly adults, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 63 million Medicare patients from 2000 to 2016 and looked for associations between three different types of pollutants fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and ozone and harmful health effects. They found that long-term exposure to low pollution levels was linked with increased risk for pneumonia, heart attack, stroke, and atrial fibrillation.