The short-term exposure to air pollution can cloud one’s judgment, affecting emotional intelligence and focus and potentially making routine activities more challenging, according to a new study.
Researchers, including those from the University of Birmingham, UK, compared the performance of 26 adults divided into two groups — one exposed to high levels of air pollution, using candle smoke, and the other to clean air.
The team found that brief exposure to high levels of particulate matter (PM) pollution could affect the participants’ higher-order cognitive functions, including self-control and sustained attention, which are critical for work and other aspects of life.
Air pollution has been studied as a major risk factor for neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, where cognition and memory are affected.
The long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution has also been linked with poor learning and memory among children.
However, the study, published in the Nature Communications journal, showed that “even short-term exposure to particulate matter can have immediate negative effects on brain functions essential for daily activities, such as doing the weekly supermarket shop,” co-author Thomas Faherty from the University of Birmingham said.
For the study, the cognitive abilities of the participants, including attention and emotion recognition, were tested before exposure to polluted air and four hours after.
“Results showed significant reductions in selective attention and emotion expression discrimination after enhanced PM exposure versus clean air exposure,” the authors wrote.
Working memory, which serves as a ‘temporary workspace’ for storing and manipulating just-learned information, was also measured and found to be unaffected.
Therefore, the researchers suggested that inflammation in the brain triggered by pollution could be responsible for the deficits in focusing and recognising emotions.
The results also indicated that certain brain functions could be more resilient to short-term exposure to pollution, they added.
Cognitive functioning, including attention and controlled behaviour, is crucial for accomplishing everyday tasks both at work and in other aspects of life.
For example, selective attention — focusing on what is important and ignoring what is not — is known to help with decision-making and achieving goals.
Recognising one’s own and others’ emotions helps in understanding how to behave in a socially acceptable manner.
“Poor air quality undermines intellectual development and worker productivity, with significant societal and economic implications in a high-tech world reliant on cognitive excellence,” co-author Francis Pope from the University of Birmingham said.
“Reduced productivity impacts economic growth, further highlighting the urgent need for stricter air quality regulations and public health measures to combat the harmful effects of pollution on brain health, particularly in highly polluted urban areas,” Pope said.