A study published in BMJ Open found a relationship between pollution in the air and the risk of developing dementia.
The postcodes of nearly 131,000 patients, ages 50 to 79, at doctors' offices in London were examined for nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants. The study found that patients exposed to the highest level of nitrogen dioxide had a 40% higher risk of developing dementia than others.
In another study by Public Health Canada, it was found that people who live near major highways could also be at a higher risk for developing the disease. Researchers examined 7 million people, ages 20 to 85, and found those who lived 164 feet from a major highway had a 4% increased chance of developing dementia. The farther away a person lived, the more the risk decreased.
Another study published in Translational Psychiatry found women who lived in areas with high levels of air pollutants could be at twice the risk of developing dementia.