Toxic waste traffic pollution can literally reach your brain.
At least that is clear from the evidence presented in a study in brain tissue samples.
Researchers at the University of Lancaster, England, discovered that small particles of metal flow from the exhaust gases of combustion can i ntroducirse through the nose and travel to the human brain.
once there, the scientists suggest, may cause brain damage and contribute, for example, Alzheimer’s disease.
the finding, the researchers say, presents a new series of questions about the risks of environmental pollution on health.
“Shocking”
Several studies in the past have focused on the impact of polluted air in the lungs and heart.
But this is the first time a research focuses on the effect on the brain.
For the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), the scientists analyzed samples of brain tissue from 37 people: 29 of them, aged between 3 and 85 years, had lived and died in Mexico City, a notoriously polluted area.
the other eight people had lived in Manchester, England, were between 62 and 92 years and some had died of neurodegenerative diseases of varying degrees of severity.
it was already known that iron nanoparticles may be present in the brain, but usually it is assumed that they come from the mineral it is found naturally in our body and which is derived from food.
But what the researchers found are now particles of other mineral magnetite.
Professor Barbara Maher, lead author of the study, had already identified magnetite particles in air samples collected with a busy street in Lancaster and in front of a power plant.
I suspect that these same particles could be found in the samples cerbero. And that was discovered.
“It was very shocking,” he told the BBC science.
“When we study the tissue we saw the particles distributed between the cells and when we did an extraction of magnetite were millions of particles, millions in a single gram of brain tissue.”
” These are millions of opportunities to cause damage, “ says.
Sources
to verify that the nanoparticles were from gases exhaust of combustion, researchers analyzed the form of magnetite.
This mineral also may be present in the brain naturally, but in very small quantities, and has a distinctly serrated.
the nanoparticles were found in the study, however, they were not only more numerous, but also smooth and round.
There were millions of particles in a single gram of brain tissue. Those are millions of opportunities to cause damage. “
Barbara Maher, University of Lancaster
According to the researchers, they are features that can only be created in the high temperatures of a vehicle engine or brake systems.
“they are spherical shapes and have small crystallites around its surface, they appear along with other metals, such as platinum, arising from catalytic converters, “says professor Maher.
” it’s the first time we see these particles of pollution within the human brain. is a finding that raises a whole new area of research to understand whether these magnetite particles are causing or accelerating neurodegenerative diseases “ adds.
the study did not show conclusive results in this regard.
the brains of donors Manchester, especially those who had died of neurodegenerative disorders, had elevated levels of magnetite.
for the victims of Mexico City similar or higher levels are found.
the level highest magnetite was discovered in a Mexican man of 32 years who died in a traffic accident.
Risk of Alzheimer?
large particles scrapping pollution such as soot, may be trapped inside the nose. Other smaller can enter the lungs, and the smallest can reach the bloodstream.
But it is thought that nanoparticles of magnetite are so tiny that they can pass from the nose and the olfactory bulb to nerve and to the brain’s frontal cortex system.
Some experts believe that this could be a “significant risk” of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, but for now, underline, it has not been proven to exist a link.
“This study provides compelling evidence that the magnetite from environmental pollution can enter the brain, but does not tell us what effect does this have on the health of our brain or disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, “says Dr. Clare Walton, of the Alzheimer’s Society organization.
” the causes of dementia are complex and so far has not been enough studies to show whether live in cities and in contaminated areas increases the risk of dementia “.
” more research is needed, “said the expert.
Prevention
Professor Barbara Maher who directed the study said their finding Lancaster- has forced to make changes in their lifestyle to avoid, if possible, pollution.
“Because the magnetite is so toxic to the brain, made me see the air that I breathe differently” , you said researcher magazine New Scientist.
“If I walk on a busy street I pull away everything I can to the edge of the platform.”
“If I walk a sloping street, crossed to the side where traffic goes down.” the vehicles will rise generated more particulate matter “.
” If I’m driving, I never stop me right behind a car. In heavy traffic the best option is to have an air conditioner in recirculation mode. And always choose my route for transit through the streets alternatives, “says the researcher.
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