Air Pollution: How It Affects Children's Mental Health

Successive studies continue to alert the multiple consequences that scientists accumulate in their research on climate change and pollution. Conclusions that exceed the most obvious areas. In fact, scientists at the University of Denver have found that air pollution could trigger depression in children.

This new paper published in the journal Developmental Psychology suggests that ozone exposure from air pollution has been linked to increased depressive symptoms among adolescents, even in areas that meet air quality standards.

Ozone is a gas that is produced when various pollutants in the exhaust gases of motor vehicles, power plants and other sources react to sunlight. Higher levels of ozone have previously been linked to several physical ailments, such as asthma, respiratory viruses, and premature respiratory death.

The new analysis is the first to relate ozone levels to the development of depression symptoms in adolescents over time. Symptoms may include persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbance, and suicidal thoughts. “I think our findings really speak to the importance of considering the impact of air pollution on mental health as well as physical health,” said lead researcher Erika Manczak, an assistant professor of psychology at the university.

Researchers analyzed data from a previous study on early life stress with 213 participants, ages 9 to 13, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team compared data on youth mental health over a four-year period with the census sections of their homes and air quality data from those sections of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Children living in areas with relatively higher ozone levels showed significant increases in depressive symptoms over time, even though ozone levels in their neighborhoods did not exceed state or national air quality standards.

Manczak notes that his findings were not affected by gender, age, race, family income, parental education, or socioeconomic characteristics of participants' neighborhoods. “It was surprising that the average ozone level was quite low, even in communities with relatively higher ozone exposure,” he says. This really underscores the fact that even low levels of ozone exposure have potentially harmful effects.”

Scientists say that ozone and other components of air pollution can contribute to high levels of inflammation in the body. This can lead to the onset and development of depression. Young people may be especially sensitive to these effects because they spend more time outdoors. The findings are correlational, the authors explain, so it cannot be proved that ozone levels caused an increase in depressive symptoms, only that there is a link between them.

It is also possible that other components of air pollution besides ozone may be a factor. Manczak believes that communities should consider ways to reduce ozone exposure, such as holding indoor youth sporting events when necessary and limiting driving during peak air pollution warning times. Legislators should invest more in clean and renewable energy sources that reduce air pollution could also be useful.

“I think air quality standards should be stricter and we should have stricter regulations on industries that contribute to pollution,” he concludes. Our findings and other studies suggest that even low levels of ozone exposure can pose potentially serious physical and mental health risks.”

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