Air Purifiers Reduce the Danger
Researchers find an air pollution link to strokes and other brain related diseases. With our homes 3-10 times higher in airborne pollution levels than outside air, improving air quality with an air purifier is becoming more important.
Tiny minute particles found in the air, when inhaled, can enter the brain and disrupt natural biological function or be a carrier of toxins which can modify the very cells in our head. These are some of the findings of researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Campus. They are discovering a growing body of evidence that the air we breathe every day contains particulates that can damage the brain and central nervous system, often found in stroke victims, Alzheimer patients and Parkinson disease sufferers.
Michelle Block, one of the researchers who specialized in neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases, says, “While it is well known that air pollution affects human health through cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, it has only recently been shown that these deleterious effects extend to the brain,” She goes on to say, “Air pollution has been implicated as a chronic source of neuroinflammation and reactive oxygen species that produce neuropathology and central nervous system disease.”
Very small particulate matter can enter the body through our lungs, bypass the body’s natural defense system and enter our blood stream. Dr. Block observes that the cardiovascular system is the transport vehicle for pollutions to the brain. As the brain becomes more porous and concentrations of particulates increase, so does the dangers to the brain.
The airborne particulates that find their way to the brain damage blood flow (cerebral vascular flow), create brain inflammation (neuroinflammation), and become the source of brain deterioration (neurodegeneration). These foreign particles are so small that the easily pass through the body. They become the ongoing source of inflammation. Inflammation is considered to be a major cause of strokes and neurodegenerative diseases. It is also believed that these particulates disrupt small cell-signaling protein molecules that are a part of important controls, such as immune response in the body. These cells are called cytokines. In addition, researchers are finding that minute toxins can hitch a ride on these particles and effortlessly be carried to the brain and nervous system creating deterioration and disease.
Strokes are a leading disability and cause of death in the United States. According to Dr. Block, strokes are more frequent in households that have coal-burning stoves emitting fumes. She says that the “impact of air pollution upon the brain was first noted as an increase in ischemic stroke frequency found in individuals exposed to indoor coal fumes.” Combine Dr. Block’s research with other supporting research suggests that if we reduce and/or eliminate coal smoke fumes and other particulates from our air, we may be able to decrease the symptoms of serious diseases we are faced with today.
Particulate matter airborne pollution is all around us and concentrated at 3 to 10 times higher in our homes than found in outside air. With the growing body of evidence that links air pollution and our brains, action should be taken to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Air purifiers that remove fine particulate matter can be an important defense and protection to our brain and the central nervous system.