A latest study conducted by scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and Boston University School of Medicine in the US revealed that long-term exposure to air pollution can cause damage to brain structure.

The team of scientists during the study examined more than 900 participants of the Framingham Heart Study.

After deeply studying the participants, they found that long-term exposure to air pollution could lead to smaller brain structure and covert brain infarcts, which is a type of ‘silent’ ischemic stroke that results from a blockage in the blood vessels supplying the brain.

The scientists were also evaluated how far the participants lived from major roadways. They used satellite imagery to assess prolonged exposure to ambient fine particulate matter, particles with a diameter of 2.5 millionth of a meter, referred to as PM2.5.

As per researchers, these particles come from a variety of sources, including power plants, factories, trucks and automobiles and the burning of wood.

Furthermore, these particles can eve travel deep into lungs and cold also be responsible for cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.

Elissa Wilker, a researcher in the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said, “This is one of the first studies to look at the relationship between ambient air pollution and brain structure”.

Wilker said findings of their study clearly suggest that air pollution is associated with insidious effects on structural brain ageing, even in dementia- and stroke-free individuals.

The study shows that an average participants who lived in more polluted areas had the brain volume of someone a year older than participants who lived in less polluted areas, said Sudha Seshadri, a Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.