I know what you’re going to say, because I wondered it too.
Is air pollution linked to worse mental health because of all the other risk factors in cities with high pollution?
Or is air pollution itself — on its own — a risk factor in developing depression?
The answer is the latter.
Air pollution itself is linked to higher rates of depression, even when controlling for every other risk factor, and researchers are starting to figure out why.
One study found that air pollution particles lodge into the brain and seem to produce molecular damage.
And a new study found that even an “incremental increase in nitrogen dioxide” raised the risk of developing common mental disorders by 39%. Tiny particle pollution raised the risk by 18%.
It’s not just about mental health.
Recent research has linked dirty air to increased suicides and indicated that growing up in polluted places increases the risk of mental disorders. Other research found that air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence and is linked to dementia. A global review in 2019 concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ in the human body.
Some Christians, particularly Christians in the United States, scoff at taking environmental issues seriously.
But God commands us to take care of his precious creation, and in doing so, we are also taking care of humans created in his image.
