According to a study, breathing in polluted air can pass toxic particles from the lungs to the brain, which can potentially cause brain disorders and damage to the nervous system. An international team of scientists from the UK’s University of Birmingham and institutes in China found a possible direct route used by various inhaled fine particles through the blood circulation with indications that, once there, the particles could be used for other main metabolisms. live longer in the brain than Organ.
The study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, found various fine particles in human cerebrospinal fluid taken from patients experiencing neurological disorders – revealing a process that can result in the elimination of toxic particulate matter in the brain. “There are gaps in our knowledge of the harmful effects of airborne fine particulates on the central nervous system,” said study co-author Iseult Lynch, a professor at the University of Birmingham.
The discovery sheds new light on the link between the inhaling particles and how they subsequently move around the body. “The data suggest that fine particles can reach up to eight times the brain, via the bloodstream, by traveling from the lungs, than passing directly through the nose – new evidence on the relationship between air pollution and the harmful effects of such particles.” Adding on to the brain, Lynch said.
The researchers noted that air pollution is a cocktail of many toxic components, but particulate matter, especially ambient fine particles such as PM2.5, are of most concern in terms of causing harmful health effects. He added that ultrafine particles, in particular, are able to evade the body’s protective systems, including sentinel immune cells and biological barriers.
According to the researchers, recent evidence has revealed a strong link between high levels of air pollution and marked neuroinflammation, Alzheimer’s-like changes, and cognitive problems in older people and even children. The researchers found that inhaled particles can enter the bloodstream after crossing the air-blood barrier—eventually reaching the brain, causing damage to the brain-blood barrier and surrounding tissue.
Once in the brain, the particles were difficult to clear and were retained for much longer than in other organs, he said. The study offers new evidence proving central nervous system risks from particulate pollution.
However, the researchers suggest that more investigation is needed into the mechanics of how ambient fine particles reach the brain.
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