Is Air Pollution Aging Your Brain?

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/19/3451006/air-pollution-cognitive-decline/

BY JOANNA M. FOSTER ON JUNE 19, 2014

Air pollution is a known killer. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. According to recent data from the World Health Organization, 7 million premature deaths around the globe every year are linked to dirty air.
But now there is mounting evidence that certain types of air pollution can also be bad for your brain. New research shows that exposure to even relatively low concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can significantly impair cognitive functioning.

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PM2.5 pollution is released during any combustion process. The most common sources are vehicle exhaust and coal-fired power plants. The particles are just 1/30 the width of a human hair, small enough, researchers believe, to cross into the bloodstream.
This is not the first time that air pollution has been linked with lowered cognitive functioning.

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Weuve showed that higher levels of long-term exposure to both coarse and fine particulate matter are associated with significantly faster cognitive decline. The researchers estimated that a 10-microgram per cubic meter increase in long-term PM exposure was cognitively equivalent to aging by approximately two years.

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