PM2.5 Could Cause Diabetes, Kidney Disease, and Even Depression
Created By RISC | 2 years ago
Last modified date : 2 years ago
Thailand’s PM2.5 levels have exceeded safe limits for many years, becoming a part of everyday life.
You probably know that levels are higher in winter and lower in summer. And that PM2.5 presents a direct risk for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lung cancer.
But many studies have found that PM2.5 is linked to other diseases you mightn’t expect, such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and even mental illness.
A study found that chronic exposure to air pollution such as PM2.5, cigarette smoke, and NO₂ can cause diabetes because the pollutants enter the body and destroy internal cells. They cause inflammation and disrupt the balance of blood sugar levels (glucose homeostasis), resulting in insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Studies have discovered that air pollution such as PM2.5, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, and mercury), phthalate, a chemical that improves plastic flexibility, and melamine (a type of plastic that contains formaldehyde) can lead to kidney disease. The kidneys remove waste from the body but when PM2.5 enters the body through blood vessels they must work extremely hard. Long-term kidney disease can result.
PM2.5 might cause mental illnesses as well as physical illnesses. A study found that 18-year-olds continuously exposed to PM2.5 in their neighborhoods since the age of 12 had a threefold increase in the incidence of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
These examples suggest that PM2.5 affects the body in a variety of ways, not just with respiratory disease. Although COVID is now a seasonal disease, remember to wear a mask to protect yourself from PM2.5
Story by: Vasuta Chan, Senior Sustainable Designer, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, RISC
References:
Meo SA, Memon AN, Sheikh SA, et al. Effect of environmental air pollution on type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(1):123-128.
Tsai HJ, Wu PY, Huang JC, Chen SC. Environmental Pollution and Chronic Kidney Disease. Int J Med Sci. 2021;18(5):1121-1129. Published 2021 Jan 1. doi:10.7150/ijms.51594
Roberts S, Arseneault L, Barratt B, et al. Exploration of NO2 and PM2.5 air pollution and mental health problems using high-resolution data in London-based children from a UK longitudinal cohort study. Psychiatry Research. 2019;272:8-17. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.12.050