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Your Brain on Air Pollution: How To Protect It From Damage
Description
Read this episode's essay on Substack
Join us for an exploration of how the air we breathe might be rewiring our brains. In this revealing episode, we dive deep into groundbreaking research that connects air pollution to an alarming range of brain disorders - from dementia to depression, anxiety to autism.
We'll hear from leading experts like Dr. Megan Herting from USC, who warns that even levels of pollution we consider "safe" are affecting our brains in measurable ways. Our discussion unveils the shocking ways air pollution infiltrates our nervous system, triggering inflammatory responses that impact every major type of brain cell.
Through fascinating neuroimaging studies and laboratory findings, we'll explore how air pollution literally changes our brain structure, particularly in vulnerable populations like children. We'll also examine why this is more than just a health issue - it's an urgent environmental justice concern that demands immediate action.
Whether you're a parent concerned about your child's development, a health professional seeking the latest research, or simply someone who breathes air (that's all of us!), this episode offers crucial insights into one of the most overlooked public health crises of our time.
Sources:
Air pollution and brain damage: what the science says
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00053-y
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Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter. Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.
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