Air Pollution is Linked to Depression Later in Life

Around the world, researchers have found an association between air pollution and the risk of mental illness. A new analysis in JAMA Network Open pinpoints a link between long-term exposure to pollutants and depression in older people. To reach their conclusion, researchers looked at health records of nearly 9 million Americans on Medicare. Their exposure to air pollution was tracked by their ZIP code from 2000 through 2016. As pollution exposure rose, so did rates of depression. Having a condition like heart failure or COPD was tied to increased risk, as was socioeconomic disadvantage.