Published Monday in the journal Developmental Psychology, the study is the first to link ozone levels to the development of depression in adolescents, a condition characterized by things like persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances or suicidal thoughts.
“Our results show that it is important to take into account the impact of air pollution on both mental and physical health,” said Erika Manczak, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Denver. To make this connection, Manczak and two Stanford University researchers analyzed data from a previous study on early life stress, which included 213 adolescents, ages 9 to 13, from the San Francisco Bay Area, exhibiting symptoms of depression and other psychopathologies over a four-year period. The scientists then cross-referenced already existing data on the participants’ mental health with census information regarding their home address and corresponding air quality information provided by the California Environmental Protection Agency. . The authors found that adolescents who lived in areas with relatively higher ozone concentrations saw their depressive symptoms increase significantly over time, even though ozone levels in their area did not exceed state or national air quality standards. The results were not influenced, according to the researchers, by other factors such as gender, age, race, household income, parental education or neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics. The authors also suggested that one possible reason for the association between increased ozone exposure and depressive symptoms is that ozone and other air pollutants may contribute to inflammation of the body. body, which has previously been linked to the onset and development of depression. Additionally, teenagers may be particularly susceptible to this kind of pollution compared to individuals in other age groups, as they tend to spend more time outdoors, the authors explained.
Produced when various pollutants from motor vehicle exhaust, power plants, and other sources react to sunlight, ozone at high levels has once been linked to various physical ailments, including asthma. and premature deaths due to various respiratory problems. However, the link between depression and ozone exposure has been understudied, the study authors noted, noting that their findings are correlational and that more research is needed to prove a causal link. In addition, the scientists recommended measures to reduce children’s exposure to ozone, in particular through the organization of sports events for young people indoors when air pollution is high and the investment in sources of renewable energies.
“Our findings and other studies suggest that even low levels of ozone exposure can pose potentially serious physical and mental health risks,” Manczak said, calling on the state and federal government to place more emphasis on air quality standards and impose stricter regulations on industries that contribute to pollution.