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Air pollution is a real public health problem, it being one of the five most common causes of mortality in developing countries. Pollution is universally widespread, already a matter of public interest, so that, although intuitive, it is difficult to connect the two. The particles found in the air that researchers breathe, regardless of their origin, can attack the body in different ways, causing inflammation, and triggering a true cascade of phenomena that end up attacking the central nervous system and other organs.
References | Polluting Substance | Source of Production | Effect on the CNS | Other Systemic Effects |
---|---|---|---|---|
W.S. Tunnicliffe et al. (2000) [28]; Nan Sang et al. (2010) [29]; Kuan Ken Lee et al. (2018) [15] | SO2 | Released from fossil fuel power plants | Inhaling SO2 could aggravate existing ischemic brain damage | It promotes vasoconstriction in both healthy adults and those with pre-existing asthma |
M.A. Go’mez-Garcıa (2004) [30]; Radim J. Sram et al. (2017) [31]; Denise Felber Dietrich et al. (2008) [32]. | NOx NO2 |
Motorized traffic, destruction by incineration of waste, and burning of coal or oil | NO2 is associated with dementia. Nox is associated with Parkinson’s disease. |
NO2 exposure is associated with autonomic cardiac dysfunction, especially in women and patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases. |
Richard J. Levy (2014) [33]; Cyril Reboul et al. (2017) [34]. | CO | Vehicle exhausts, industrial combustion, cigarette smoke, gas cookers, charcoal grills. | Exposure to low levels causes episodes of headache, dizziness, and impaired judgment. Exposure to high levels can cause seizures. | It aggravates myocardial contractile dysfunction, especially in prone patients; CO can cross the placenta, with the possibility of the neurodevelopmental alteration of the fetus |
Helen H. Suh et al. (2000) [35]; Liu X. et al. (2022) [36] | O3 (Ozone) | O3 is formed through the interaction between NO2 and volatile organic compounds, under the action of sunlight | Memory impairment, lethargy, severe fatigue, headache episodes, sleep-wake disturbance | Irritating respiratory membranes and the entire respiratory system. Increases the frequency of asthma attacks, weak the immune system, decrease metabolic function |
Legend: CNS = central nervous system; SO2 = sulfur dioxide; NOx = nitrogen oxides; NO = nitrous oxide; CO = carbon monoxide; O3 = ozone.