Study finds significant link between PM2.5 pollution and neurological disorders in US
26 October 2020
PM2.5 pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, in a long-term study of more than 63 million older US adults, led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study, conducted with colleagues at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, is the first nationwide analysis of the link between fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution and neurodegenerative diseases in the US. The researchers leveraged an unparalleled amount of data compared to any previous study of air pollution and neurological disorders.
The open-access study is published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health.
The 2020 report of the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care has added air pollution as one of the modifiable risk factors for these outcomes. Our study builds on the small but emerging evidence base indicating that long-term PM2.5 exposures are linked to an increased risk of neurological health deterioration, even at PM2.5 concentrations well below the current national standards.
—Xiao Wu, doctoral student in biostatistics at Harvard Chan School and co-lead author
Researchers looked at 17 years’ worth (2000-2016) of hospital admissions data from 63,038,019 Medicare recipients in the US and linked these with estimated PM2.5 concentrations by zip code.
Taking into account potential confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, they found that, for each 5 microgram per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) increase in annual PM2.5 concentrations, there was a 13% increased risk for first-time hospital admissions both for Parkinson’s disease and for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
This risk remained elevated even below supposedly safe levels of PM2.5 exposure, which, according to current US Environmental Protection Agency standards, is an annual average of 12 μg/m3 or less.
Women, white people, and urban populations were particularly susceptible, the study found. The highest risk for first-time Parkinson’s disease hospital admissions was among older adults in the northeastern US For first-time Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias hospital admissions, older adults in the Midwest faced the highest risk.
Our US-wide study shows that the current standards are not protecting the aging American population enough, highlighting the need for stricter standards and policies that help further reduce PM2.5 concentrations and improve air quality overall.
—Antonella Zanobetti, principal research scientist in Harvard Chan School’s Department of Environmental Health and co-senior author
This study was supported by the Health Effects Institute (4953-RFA14-3/16-4), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS R01 ES024332, R01 ES028805, R21 ES028472, P30 ES009089, P30 ES000002), the National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH R01 AG066793-01, P50 AG025688), and the HERCULES Center (P30ES019776). Research described in this article was done under contract to the Health Effects Institute, an organization jointly funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (assistance award number R-83467701) and some motor vehicle and engine manufacturers.
Resources
Liuhua Shi, Xiao Wu, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Danielle Braun, Yara Abu Awad, Yaguang Wei, Pengfei Liu, Qian Di, Yun Wang, Joel Schwartz, Francesca Dominici, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Antonella Zanobetti (2020) “Long-term effects of PM2.5 on neurological disorders in the American Medicare population: a longitudinal cohort study,” The Lancet Planetary Health doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30227-8
And big battery BEVs are going to make things worse, not better.
Emissions now are primarily non exhaust, and that predominance is rapidly increasing. In respect of PM2.5, they are poor:
'Electric vehicles are estimated to emit 5-19% less PM10 from non-exhaust sources per kilometre than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) across vehicle classes.
However, EVs do not necessarily emit less PM2.5 than ICEVs. Although lightweight EVs emit an estimated 11-13% less PM2.5 than ICEV equivalents, heavier weight EVs emit an estimated 3-8% more PM2.5 than ICEVs. In the absence of targeted policies to reduce nonexhaust emissions, consumer preferences for greater autonomy and larger vehicle size could therefore drive an increase in PM2.5 emissions in future years with the uptake of heavier EVs.'
http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=ENV/EPOC/WPIEEP(2020)4/FINAL&docLanguage=En
(pg6)
Note that they are using 'comparable vehicle types'.
So a Model 3 Tesla will be compared to something like a BMW M3, heavy and with huge acceleration.
Regenerative braking is the usual buzzword for BEVS when non exhaust emissions are brought up, but that can be had in any PHEV, HEV or in mico hybrids which only cost a few hundred more than a straight ICE and from zero a couple of years ago are now outselling BEVs in the UK in spite of not having the huge subsidies of BEVs.
They can also be built small and light, so have far less energy embodied in the build as well as less pollution in use than a big fat heavy BEV.
If you want big, and very low pollution, then FCEVs are the only way, as they suck up and purify more than they pollute, and the production chain for hydrogen can be isolated and made zero energy, whilst it is difficult to ring fence electricity in the same way.
Micro hybrids pollute far less than big battery BEVs, which have had umpteen billions thrown at them to reduce pollution.
Posted by: Davemart | 26 October 2020 at 05:39 AM
Davemart
I can’t believe what you are saying, but maybe, car should filter the particulate they release.
Posted by: Treehugger | 26 October 2020 at 06:13 PM
According to a peer-reviewed paper from 2018 (Mendoza-Beltran, "When the Background Matters: Using Scenarios from Integrated Assessment Models in Prospective Life Cycle Assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, November 2018, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jiec.12825, Figure 1 (corrected version)), "Particulate Matter Formation" (i.e., primary AND secondary PM2.5) is higher with BEV than a Euro 5 diesel ICEV, at least until electricity grid is >90% renewable.
Posted by: Carl | 27 October 2020 at 12:58 PM
Davemart
The particulate emission rate from BEVs is caused by our dirty (coal) energy generation. This will get better of course. Furthermore coal plants emit through high stacks, generally in unpopulated areas, while ICEs emit from the roadway, at ground level and near human activity. Not all PM2.5 causes the same level of harm.
Posted by: downshifter | 28 October 2020 at 06:06 AM