Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria have found that exposure to traffic pollution changes the way our brains work.
“Air pollution affects how we think, which can have serious public health implications,” said Chris Carlsten, director of UBC’s Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory and one of the researchers on the study, published Jan. 14 in the journal Environmental Health .
Karlsten says that exposure to diesel fumes for just two hours led to changes in brain function connectivity, a measure of how different regions of the brain interact with each other.
The regions most affected are related to memory and attention, he says.
“[Changes in connectivity is] associated with reduced cognitive performance and symptoms of depression, so it is alarming to see that traffic pollution is disrupting these same networks,” said Jody Gavryluk, first author of the study.
The study measured the brain activity of 25 healthy adults during intermittent exposure to diesel fumes and filtered air. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, captured bright patches of changing brain activity between exposure to polluted air and clean air filtered from pollutants.
Carlsten says the images show clear differences between the two scenarios, but adds that more research is needed to understand what those differences mean.
“If you’ve taken a few strings from a mesh and crossed them in a different pattern, that’s not necessarily bad … but it certainly makes it different,” he explained.
While the results of the study led to more questions, Carlsten says, the researchers are confident of one thing: air pollution and climate change are changing the way brains function.
“We are all exposed [to traffic pollution] not only in British Columbia and locally, but globally it could have big implications,” he said.
“That’s why we’re doing this work to try to push things, raise awareness and push policies [for change].”
‘Many’ affected by traffic-related pollution: Ph.D
Dr. Melissa Lem, president of the Canadian Association of Environmental Physicians, says a third of Canadians live less than 250 meters from a major road.
“This tells us that there are many people who will be affected by traffic-related air pollution,” she said, adding that the impacts could range from slow childhood development, heart disease, cancer and brain changes.
“If we’re exposed to certain things, people may notice brain fog … problems concentrating … [or feeling] a little more cranky and tired,” she said.
“So if you think you smell fossil fuel fumes and you feel like it, get away from them and come inside.”
Carlsten says the pollution levels used in the study are comparable to air pollution in cities like Delhi, India, or industries like mining.
“Occupations in confined spaces and lack of good ventilation are most at risk,” he said, adding that British Columbia is not immune to these problems due to annual exposure to wildfire smoke.
While more research needs to look specifically at the effects of wood smoke on the brain, Carlsten suggests the results will be similar.
“Diesel exhaust shares very similar characteristics with fire smoke in terms of particulate matter,” Carlsten said.
Ways to manage air pollution
To avoid negative impacts, Lem suggests wearing an N95 mask on especially smoky days and investing in proper air filtration systems.
“From a broader community perspective, we need to get more cars off the road,” she said, adding that the City of Vancouver’s decision to remove the Stanley Park bike lane affects people in terms of exercise and air pollution.
“We are facing a climate crisis and an air pollution crisis at the same time, both driven by the burning of fossil fuels. By getting more people out of cars and onto bikes and pavements, we can tackle both at the same time.”
Carlsten says that prolonged exposure to polluted air can lead to long-lasting changes.
“People might want to think twice the next time they’re stuck in traffic with the windows down,” he said.
He adds that their research is just the beginning of understanding a larger set of climate change concerns.
“It’s all part of the bigger picture of what we can do to try to minimize the harm of air pollution.”
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