Support NeoGAF

[llien]

The research was conducted in China but is relevant across the world, with 95% of the global population breathing unsafe air. It found that high pollution levels led to significant drops in test scores in language and arithmetic, with the average impact equivalent to having lost a year of the person's education. "Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge," said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, a member of the research team. "But we know the effect is worse for the elderly, especially those over 64, and for men, and for those with low education. If we calculate [the loss] for those, it may be a few years of education."

The damage in intelligence was worst for those over 64 years old, with serious consequences, said Chen: "We usually make the most critical financial decisions in old age." Rebecca Daniels, from the UK public health charity Medact, said: "This report's findings are extremely worrying." [...] The new work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysed language and arithmetic tests conducted as part of the China Family Panel Studies on 20,000 people across the nation between 2010 and 2014. The scientists compared the test results with records of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide pollution.

slashdot

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Would explain Californians.

 

[Schrödinger's cat]

Well, duh!

 

[Breakage]

Not surprised. But a lot of people are indifferent because they can't see it. If pollution were neon purple or something, then I think they would be far more concerned.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Fascinating but not surprising. I am curious -- allow me to play armchair doctor for a moment -- if the rise of Alzheimers is partially due to living in polluted areas. I know that aluminum exposure can contribute to it as well, so I wonder if other metal particulate in the air (including aluminum, which is found in typical smog from cars and manufacturing) would contribute to mental degradation.

Drink your tea, folks, and eat your mushrooms! Antioxidants and nootropics are increasingly important for our health.

 

[Super Mario]

I don't know how much I believe this study. How do you find people who have lived in pollution vs those who have not? What is the measurement? Most industrial areas have lower-priced homes, which generally attract lower-class people. What's next, people who live on an expensive beach are even smarter because of the sand on their toes?

 

[Nintendo Switch]

The lower the IQ, the more likely someone is to vote republican.


Explains why Trump’s EPA refused to ban the use of chemicals that have been proven to cause brain damage...

https://sputniknews.com/amp/environment/201808101067087887-Judge-Overrules-EPA-Bans-Pesticide/

 

[iconmaster]

Not surprised. But a lot of people are indifferent because they can't see it. If pollution were neon purple or something, then I think they would be far more concerned.

I've been to Los Angeles -- you can definitely see it!

The lower the IQ, the more likely someone is to vote republican.

I haven't seen studies on IQ, but here's one that used SAT and ACT scores. The most interesting part to me was "holding unpopular political views demands more cognitive resources."

Edit: Ah, there's a bit in there on IQ as well. "States that had higher IQ's also voted more Democrats into office—but only if political involvement was high. In states with low voter turnout, high IQ was correlated with having more Republican lawmakers." No idea what that amounts to.

 

[Gander]

And so it begins...

All those bottled air companies will see a spike their business. The ones everybody laugh at are now going to be rich.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Fascinating but not surprising. I am curious -- allow me to play armchair doctor for a moment -- if the rise of Alzheimers is partially due to living in polluted areas. I know that aluminum exposure can contribute to it as well, so I wonder if other metal particulate in the air (including aluminum, which is found in typical smog from cars and manufacturing) would contribute to mental degradation.

Drink your tea, folks, and eat your mushrooms! Antioxidants and nootropics are increasingly important for our health.

Eh maybe, but “the rise of alzheimers” has far more to do with increased awareness (grandpa becoming senile is no longer considered normal) and people just living longer.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Eh maybe, but “the rise of alzheimers” has far more to do with increased awareness (grandpa becoming senile is no longer considered normal) and people just living longer.

Incorrect. Alzheimers is not senility. It destroys the person's ability to care for themselves or conduct the basic tasks of adult life and we know that it is entirely different than the normal degradation of brain tissue. It can affect people as young as 40 so I find it hard to believe it's because "we are just living longer". The same excuse has been used for cancer and I think "we're just living longer" is an excuse that will end up biting us in the butt when we have verified environmental factors that are causing these problems.

 

[TheGreatYosh]

I've been to Los Angeles -- you can definitely see it!



I haven't seen studies on IQ, but here's one that used SAT and ACT scores. The most interesting part to me was "holding unpopular political views demands more cognitive resources."

Edit: Ah, there's a bit in there on IQ as well. "States that had higher IQ's also voted more Democrats into office—but only if political involvement was high. In states with low voter turnout, high IQ was correlated with having more Republican lawmakers." No idea what that amounts to.

The "holding unpopular political views" thing is obvious. Surface level people don't think enough to have controversial views of any kind. They just go with the flow.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Incorrect. Alzheimers is not senility. It destroys the person's ability to care for themselves or conduct the basic tasks of adult life and we know that it is entirely different than the normal degradation of brain tissue. It can affect people as young as 40 so I find it hard to believe it's because "we are just living longer". The same excuse has been used for cancer and I think "we're just living longer" is an excuse that will end up biting us in the butt when we have verified environmental factors that are causing these problems.

Jeez. I’m not saying it’s just senility, in fact that’s exactly the opposite of what I said. Re read my post.

With that being said, your understanding of Alzheimers is extremely limited. All dementing illnesses eventually reduce your ability to function. That doesn’t speak at all to the cause. The fact is that our exposure to many of the environmental agents linked to Alzheimer’s was actually higher in the past, but we still expect an increase in diagnosis simply because of heightened awareness and patients living longer. Alzheimer’s very rarely affects young people.