A wealth of research shows that air pollution is harming our brain health, including our mental health and our risk of dementia. A new report has outlined what we should do next.
Prof Frank Kelly of Imperial College London, a former chair of the UK Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution, said: “Dementia is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century. Recognition that air pollution might accelerate the decline in cognitive function and contribute to the development of dementia came as a surprise when such an association was first postulated.