Participants in a brain impact test inhale polluted air

Four types of air pollution are inhaled by volunteers.

Volunteers in a Manchester lab are breathing in lungfuls of contaminated air while wearing masks.

They are being exposed to a variety of fumes, such as cleaning products and diesel, in an effort to learn more about the effects of pollution on the brain.

Blood samples and the outcomes of cognitive tests conducted both before and after exposure are being examined by scientists.

The effects of air quality on the heart and lungs are widely recognized, but the brain has received less research attention.

The study's principal scientist is Dr. Ian Mudway, an environmental toxicologist from Imperial College London.

"In the past ten years, statistical correlations have emerged linking air pollution to a wide range of brain-related problems, including altered cognitive function, learning styles in children, mental health, and an increased risk of dementia.

"What we're trying to do in this study is to actually do experiments to understand why there's an association, to find out what the underlying biological mechanisms are that link air pollution to adverse effects on the human brain."

The University of Manchester is the site of the experiments, where researchers are simulating four distinct forms of pollution: wood smoke, cleaning products, diesel exhaust, and cooking fumes (from frying a pork chop in a fume cupboard).

The volunteers are given access to an air chamber, which is basically a room-sized plastic sac, where the pollutants are carefully measured and controlled before being inhaled.

Over the course of several months, the participants visit the lab several times, and during each visit, they spend an hour in either clean air or a different pollutant. Throughout the experiments, they are never aware of what they are breathing in.

One of the volunteers, Bryony Evens, administers cognitive tests both prior to and following each exposure.

One of the main goals, according to Prof. Gordon McFiggans of the University of Manchester's Centre for Atmospheric Science, is to rank the risk of each pollutant, both indoors and outdoors.

Numerous new studies are showing that indoor air pollution may potentially be more dangerous than outdoor air pollution, the speaker said.

There's also the obvious fact that opening a window or using mechanical ventilation allows indoor and outdoor pollutants to enter a space, meaning that everyone is exposed to a wide range of conditions.

"And I think what we need to do is have some comprehensive guidance to individuals, so they're aware of the possibilities of different sorts of implications for their health."

According to the team, biological samples can provide insight into what's going on in the body, while brain tests offer a direct means of examining cognitive function.

"What we want to do is understand the pathways by which the pollution actually affects the brain," Professor McFiggans explains.

According to him, the team's goal is to determine whether the effects of the pollutants are felt indirectly or directly in the brain. There's a chance that the pollutants inflame other body parts, such as the lungs, and the chemicals that come from this biological process end up in the brain.

"At the moment we just don't know," he replies.

More research on pollution and the brain is necessary, according to Dr. Ian Mudway

According to the World Health Organization, seven million premature deaths occur annually as a result of indoor and outdoor air pollution combined. 99% of the world's population is said to breathe air that is more polluted than what the UN considers to be safe.

According to the team, it's critical to learn more about how pollution affects brain function.

Additionally, despite the study's initial modest appearance (it includes 13 participants), it's one of the biggest analyses of its kind. This is so that a statistically significant analysis can be produced. Each volunteer is exposed to four pollutants (as well as clean air) independently, and the results are compared with each other and then cross-checked with the results of all other participants.

Among those involved is Bryony Evens.

During the trials, biological samples, including blood, are collected.

She claims that she is content to inhale pollution for scientific purposes and reads a book while she is confined to the air chamber for extended periods of time.

She states: "It seems like a really worthwhile use of my time to help with the study like this if they can get more data on these kinds of things."

"Anything that can be done to find out things that cause us damage, just in our normal way of life, that can be changed, seems like a really valuable thing to do."

The outcomes are anticipated in the upcoming months.