New Delhi, Dec 25 || Long-term exposure to specific particulate matter components, such as PM2.5, including sulphate, ammonium, elemental carbon, and soil dust, can increase the risk of mental health issues like depression, according to a study.
The study, published in the JAMA Network Open, found the risk to be more pronounced in older adults, particularly those with preexisting conditions such as cardiometabolic and neurologic comorbidities.
The findings, based on a study of 23,696,223 older adults, underscore the importance of targeted regulation of harmful PM2.5 components to protect vulnerable populations.
“Our results confirmed that the combined positive association of PM2.5 mixtures with depression risk was much higher than PM2.5 alone, and further revealed that soil dust, sulphate, and elemental carbon were the most responsible for the observed associations,” said researchers from Emory University, US.