Air Pollution Reduces Human Intelligence

Researchers in the US and China have revealed that exposure to air pollution has a huge impact on intelligence reduction.

In a study titled “The impact of exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance,” researchers examined the skills of thousands of people in China for four years based on measurements of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter where participants lived.

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They further clarified that the results adopted was not just limited to China but cuts across all countries as more than 80% of the world’s population inhale unsafe air.

“Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, a member of the research team.

However, while establishing a link between pollution and lower test scores, the study did not prove its cause and effect.

Published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study also suggested that pollution elevates the chances of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia occurring.

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According to the World Health Organisation, air pollution based on estimation have caused seven million premature deaths.

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