As part of a study in Environment International, experts at the Yale School of Public Health unveiled a link between long-term ozone exposure and the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly.
The study began by focusing on ambient ozone and assessing the health outcomes of close to 10,000 elderly people residing in China. Researchers examined how the long-term ozone exposure may have affected their cognitive health.
Among the participants included, which involved areas of Eastern, Central, and Southern China, they were exposed to concentrations above the WHO guideline of (60 μg/m3).
According to first author Qi Gao and her colleagues: “The exposure–response relationship between ozone exposure and risk of cognitive impairment showed a linear trend. Sensitivity analyses revealed the association to be robust.”
“We found that older adults from Eastern, Central, and Southern China were particularly susceptible,” the authors determined.
“Our results show that ozone is a risk factor for late-life cognitive decline. Reducing ambient ozone pollution may help delay the onset of cognitive impairment among older adults.”
