People exposed to long-term, poor air quality are more likely to experience depression and suicide according to a study by the.
The study was based on air pollution particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres (equivalent to 0.0025 millimetres and known as PM2.5).
Those exposed to air 10 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) at a level of PM2.5 for a year or more had a 10 per cent higher risk of having depression.
According to the New South Wales, parts of Sydney currently have PM2.5 levels as high as 668µg/m3.
This is almost six times the particle levels in Qatar, the location with some of the
The study also determined that three days of exposure to particles ranging up to 10 micrometres (PM10) can increase the rate of suicide by up to two per cent.
Current NSW PM10 levels range between 69µg/m3 and 404µg/m3.
“We know that the finest particulates from dirty air can reach the brain via both the bloodstream and the nose, and air pollution has been implicated in increased neuroinflammation, damage to nerve cells and to changes in stress hormone production, which have been linked to poor mental health,” said study lead author Dr Isobel Braithwaite.
We’re showing that air pollution could be causing substantial harm to our mental health as well, making the case for cleaning up the air we breathe even more urgent.
Data was analysed from 16 countries worldwide along with previous studies done between 1974 and 2017 to inform the investigation.
The study suggests that lowering air pollution to the of 10µg/m3 could reduce depression in city populations by up to 2.5 per cent.
Study authors say that reducing air pollution could also have knock on effects for other depression alleviating activities.
“A lot of what we can do to reduce air pollution can also benefit our mental health in other ways, such as enabling people to walk or cycle rather than drive, and enhancing access to parks,” said senior author Dr Joseph Hayes.
Concerns over NSW air quality have heightened over the past month as raging bushfires push thick smoke and ash across the state.
In the beginning of December, Sydney was pushed into air quality levels 11 times higher than what is deemed ‘hazardous’.
Wafting smoke also triggered alarms across the city, resulting in the evacuation of several offices.
The NSW environment department says this season's bushfire emergency has caused "some of the highest air pollution ever seen in NSW".
"NSW has experienced other periods of poor air quality that lasted several weeks, including the 1994 Sydney bushfires and the Black Christmas bushfires of December 2001 to January 2002,” a spokesman said.
"This event, however, is the longest and the most widespread in our records."
The smoke is expected to linger throughout the summer as bushfires continue to burn throughout the state.
