Links Between Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution and Neurological and Mental Disorders

Santé publique France has published a report on the links between exposure to outdoor air pollution and neurological and mental disorders, and the possibility of quantifying this link in France. The objective of this study is to update knowledge on the subject and assess the feasibility of a quantitative health impact assessment of outdoor air pollution (EQIS-PA) in France.

Study Results

A literature review was conducted from January 2000 to December 2019, supplemented by a search for incidence or prevalence data available in France. This review identifies the strongest associations for long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children from the perinatal period through age 8, as well as for prenatal exposure; depressive disorders; dementia in adults over 50; and Parkinson’s disease in adults over 40.

In France, the relevant health indicators currently available in the National Health Data System (SNDS) database are the prevalence of ASD and the incidence of Parkinson’s disease.

Study Limitations

However, it is important to note that the evidence from the literature regarding a relationship between neurological and mental disorders and exposure to air pollution does not yet reach the same level of evidence as that for the relationship between exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.

The Air and Health Surveillance Program (PSAS) of Santé publique France will take this new information into account when updating its recommendations for the implementation of EQIS-PA in France.

Impact of Air Pollution on the Health of Residents in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

For the first time, Santé publique France is publishing a region-wide report on the health impacts of air pollution. This innovative study is based on detailed modeling of pollutant concentrations and provides data on morbidity as well as mortality, using several pollution indicators (PM2.5, NO2, and ozone). Its findings will help inform the public, raise awareness, and support local stakeholders in implementing public policies aimed at improving air quality.

Key Findings

Each year in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, nearly 4,300 deaths are estimated to be attributable to population exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 2,000 deaths to exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2: a tracer pollutant for traffic-related pollution), representing 7% and 3% of total annual mortality, respectively. This study also estimates that nearly 200 lung cancers, 780 strokes, and 550 emergency room visits for asthma in children are attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and that exposure to ozone is responsible each year, among people aged 65 and older, for 900 hospitalizations due to cardiovascular causes and 240 hospitalizations due to respiratory causes.

Although air quality is improving overall each year in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, ambient air pollution remains a major health concern for the region’s population. Certain areas remain more affected: major urban areas, the Rhône and Saône valleys, the Alpine valleys, and, for ozone exposure, the southern part of the region. However, any reduction in pollution, regardless of the area—urban, suburban, or rural—will yield health benefits for the population.

Beyond the health benefits associated with reduced exposure to pollutants, actions taken to mitigate this impact—particularly within a broader context of health-promoting urban planning—can yield significant co-benefits regarding other health determinants (physical activity, noise, social connections, heat islands, etc.).

Infographic “Ambient Air Pollution: Health Impact in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region”

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Ambient Air Pollution and Mortality in France: New Estimates of the Economic Impact and the Effect of the Spring 2020 Lockdown

The Aix-Marseille School of Economics (AMSE, Aix-Marseille University, AMU), in partnership with Santé publique France, has published an economic assessment of the mortality prevented by the activity restrictions implemented in the spring of 2020 in connection with COVID-19. This assessment is put into perspective with the impact of long-term exposure of the metropolitan French population to ambient air pollution over the 2016–2019 period.

Health and economic impacts of improved air quality during lockdown

According to the study, if air pollution levels were permanently reduced to the levels observed during the spring 2020 lockdown, approximately 2,300 deaths could be prevented due to a decrease in the French population’s exposure to ambient PM2.5 fine particulate matter, and nearly 900 deaths could be prevented due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The AMSE (AMU) estimated the economic impacts at 7.5 billion and 3 billion euros, respectively.

Health and economic impacts of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution

To put the results related to the spring 2020 lockdown into perspective, the study also shows that mortality linked to long-term exposure to ambient air pollution remains a significant risk in France, with 40,000 deaths attributable each year to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 7,000 deaths attributable to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This represents 7% and 1% of total annual mortality, respectively, with an average loss of life expectancy among people aged 30 and older of nearly 8 months for PM2.5 and 2 months for NO2.

In economic terms, this represents an annual societal impact of approximately €130 billion for PM2.5 and €23 billion for NO2.

This research and its translation into economic terms for French society once again underscore the importance of continuing efforts to reduce air pollution by addressing all sources of pollution.