A person’s ability to focus on everyday tasks is affected by short-term exposure to air pollution, a study has found. Researchers analysed data from cognitive tests completed by 26 participants before and after they were exposed either to high levels of particulate matter (PM) using smoke from a candle, or clean air for an hour.

The study found that even brief exposure to high concentrations of PM affected participants’ selective attention and emotion recognition – regardless of whether they breathed normally or just through their mouth. This can affect an individual’s ability to concentrate on tasks, avoid distractions and behave in a socially appropriate way.

The study also found that participants performed worse on cognitive tests evaluating emotional recognition after being exposed to PM air pollution. However, their working memory was not affected, indicating that some brain functions are more resilient to short-term pollution exposure than others.

Researchers say the findings of the study could have significant societal and economic implications, including for educational attainment and work productivity.

The study is part of a larger project that will test the impact of different sources of pollutants, which researchers hope will help inform future policy and public health measures.

“The larger project … looks at different sources of pollutants, which are more common. So like cooking emissions and wood burning and car exhaust and cleaning products, to kind of tease out whether we can kind of push policy in a certain direction,” said Dr Thomas Faherty of the University of Birmingham, a co-author of the study.

Source: The Guardian
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