By Sarah Bonato, Reference/Research Librarian, CAMH Library
It’s Clean Air Day. Many studies have examined the adverse health effects correlated with air pollution, such as increased risk for heart attacks or respiratory diseases. But clean air may also be important for mental health—see below for a selection of epidemiological studies.
Association Between Neighborhood Air Pollution Concentrations and Dispensed Medication for Psychiatric Disorders in a Large Longitudinal Cohort of Swedish Children and Adolescents, by Anna Oudin, Lennart Bråbäck, Daniel Oudin Åström, Magnus Strömgren, and Bertil Forsberg
From BMJ Open
- This observational study examines how air pollution may lead to increased mental illness in children, even at low levels of pollution.
Access at http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/6/e010004.full
Air Pollution and Detrimental Effects on Children’s Brain. The Need for a Multidisciplinary Approach to the Issue Complexity and Challenges, by Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ricardo Torres-Jardón, Randy J. Kulesza, Su-Bin Park, and Amedeo D’Angiulli
From Frontiers Research Foundation
- This overview puts forward common denominators for the mechanistic pathways linking air pollution to negative effects on the developing brain.
Access at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4129915/
Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits for Depression: A Multicity Case-Crossover Study, by Mieczysław Szyszkowicz, Termeh Kousha, Mila Kingsbury, and Ian Colman
From Environmental Health Insights
- The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between ambient air pollution and emergency department (ED) visits for depression.
Access at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006648/
Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits for Suicide Attempts in Vancouver, Canada , by Mieczysław Szyszkowicz, Jeff B. Willey, Eric Grafstein, Brian H. Rowe, and Ian Colman
From Environmental Health Insights
- This study investigates potential association between air pollution and emergency department visits for suicide attempts.
Access at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2978939/
Can Clean Air Make You Happy? Examining the Effect of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) on Life Satisfaction, by Sarah J Knight and Peter Howley
From Environment Department, University of York
- This study combined life satisfaction data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)and the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS) with detailed air quality records held by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Access at https://www.york.ac.uk/media/economics/documents/hedg/workingpapers/1708.pdf
Does Mental Health Status Influence Susceptibility to the Physiologic Effects of Air Pollution? A Population Based Study of Canadian Children, by Robert E. Dales1 and Sabit Cakmak
From PLoS One
- This cross-sectional study examines if children with less favorable mental health are more susceptible to pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of ambient air pollution.
Access at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5193427/
The Relation Between Past Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Prevalent Anxiety: Observational Cohort Study, by Melinda C Power, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Jaime E Hart, Olivia I Okereke, Francine Laden, Marc G Weisskopf
From BMJ
- This observational cohort study found that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was associated with high symptoms of anxiety and identifies the need for research on evaluating whether reductions to fine particulate air pollution exposure would reduce the population level burden of clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety.
Access at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4373600/
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