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People in areas of high PM2.5 concentrations had higher amounts of amyloid plaques in brain

Air pollution from traffic is linked to some of the more severe forms of dementia, and could be a significant cause of the condition among those who are not already genetically predisposed to it, research suggests.

Research carried out in Atlanta, Georgia, found that people with higher exposure to traffic-related fine particulate matter air pollution were more likely to have high amounts of the amyloid plaques in their brains that are associated with Alzheimer’s.

The findings, which will alarm anyone living in a town or city, but particularly those living near busy roads, add to the harms already known to be caused by road traffic pollution, ranging from climate change to respiratory diseases.

A team of researchers from Atlanta’s Emory University set out to specifically investigate the effects on people’s brains of exposure the type of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5.