2023-09-12 08:19:01
A city immersed in a cloud of pollution.
©Money SHARMA / AFP
Unsuspected effects
According to one study, when levels of airborne particles are high, the risk of suicide appears to increase over a three-day period.
Atlantico: Every year, more than 700,000 people commit suicide around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If sociologists have long sought to understand the factors of suicide, it seems that air quality plays a determining role. Could you explain to us the link between the air quality and suicide ?
Olivier Blond : Several research publications clearly indicate that increased air pollution is associated with an increased risk of suicide. Unfortunately, this finding is not surprising and adds to the many health problems caused by air pollution, such as asthma attacks and lung cancer. In addition, pollution also affects the nervous system, can aggravate Alzheimer’s disease, reduce intelligence quotient and also influence “mood”, which can lead to depression. By worsening depression, air pollution can increase the risk of suicide.
A 2019 study suggests that when levels of airborne particles are high, the risk of suicide appears to increase over a three-day period. Can you explain this surprising link to us?
Researchers have not provided a definitive explanation for this phenomenon, but they have speculated. What is striking is how quickly spikes in air pollution appear to influence suicide rates. In epidemiology, we generally distinguish long-term effects from “acute” effects, that is to say the immediate effects caused by sudden and violent peaks of air pollution.
Researchers suggest that air pollution can cause rapid inflammation inside the brain, which has various impacts on mood and suicide risk. However, it is important to note that this is correlation, not causation. We can take the example of the “chocolate paradox”: in a given country, we observe that the higher the consumption of chocolate, the more Nobel Prize winners there are. Of course, this makes no sense in itself, because eating chocolate doesn’t make you smarter. Chocolate consumption is simply an indicator of a high standard of living, especially in urban areas. Therefore, correlation and causation should not be confused.
To what extent might this new knowledge contribute to suicide prevention?
Suicide is an extremely complex phenomenon, resulting from multiple factors. For example, the risk of suicide is significantly higher among men than among women.
Therefore, it is unlikely that our understanding of the impact of air pollution can significantly contribute to reducing suicide rates. However, it is imperative to reduce air pollution, which is responsible for nearly 7 million deaths per year worldwide. We now clearly understand the effects of air pollution on the brain, IQ, mental health, infant mortality, and many other aspects of our lives. As research progresses, it will become increasingly clear that air pollution disrupts every aspect of our existence.
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