In addition to having a deadly impact on people’s physical health, Air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence, according to new study.
A study conducted in China but is relevant worldwide — revealed that 95% of the global population breathing unsafe air. High pollution levels led to significant drops in test scores in language and arithmetic. On average, the researchers say, those breathing unsafe air, on average, lose the equivalent of a year’s worth of education due to harmful toxins.
“Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, a member of the research team. “But we know the effect is worse for the elderly, especially those over 64, and for men, and for those with low education. If we calculate [the loss] for those, it may be a few years of education.”
Previous research has found that air pollution harms cognitive performance in students, but this is the first to examine people of all ages and the difference between men and women.
According to the WHO, 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in developing countries.
The Chinese study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysed language and arithmetic tests conducted on 20,000 people across the nation between 2010 and 2014. The scientists compared the test results.
The results indicate prolonged exposure to poor air appears to cause a degradation of cognition which worsens with advancing age.
> Shiuly Rina
