Pollution is not only harmful for the respiratory system, according to an American study. Ozone levels measured in the outdoor air might also affect the mental health of teenagers.
When air pollution increases, respiratory pathologies such as COPD can be exacerbated: the numbers of admissions to emergency services attest to this. But what regarding symptoms of depression? Is it possible to establish a link between air pollution and this mental illness, especially among adolescents?
This is the subject of the work of psychology researchers from the Universities of Denver and Stanford (United States). They focused their attention on a single type of atmospheric pollutant, ozone, which is formed “from the chemical transformations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mainly emitted by road traffic and industrial activities”, specifies the National Institute for the Industrial Environment and Risks (Ineris). These chemical reactions take place in the air under the action of the sun’s rays.
Even when standards are met…
For their work, the researchers combined two types of data: the results of a previous study conducted on early life stress among 213 adolescents living in the San Francisco Bay area and aged 9 to 13, and measures of the concentration of ozone in the air in their area of residence, during the same period. The researchers found that teenagers residing in areas with relatively high ozone levels saw their depressive symptoms increase over time. And this even if the pollution levels remained within the air quality standards of the State of California or the United States.
Among the symptoms of these young people: persistent feelings of sadness or despair, difficulty concentrating, sleep disorders, even suicidal thoughts. For the authors of the study, ozone probably plays a role in the appearance of these disorders: indeed, air pollution can contribute to high levels of inflammation in the body. And the inflammatory track is increasingly being seriously considered as a possible cause of depression.
However, the authors do not go so far as to establish a direct causal link between these symptoms and ozone pollution. On the one hand, other components of air pollution may also come into play; on the other hand, the sample is too small. However, these results are in line with a series of other studies carried out by the American University of Cincinnati and published in 2019, linking air pollution and increased anxiety in children.
