Older men are more prone to cognitive impairment from dirty air

LIVING under thick layers of smog is known to cause illness and reduce life expectancy. The degree to which pollution harms the mind is less clear. In theory some of the toxins that get inhaled could damage the nervous system and hamper intellect, but few studies have looked into this. One just has, however, and the results are worrying, particularly for older men.The new study is by Xiaobo Zhang, Xin Zhang and Xi Chen of Peking University, in China. When Dr Zhang returned to China in 2012, after teaching in America, he found it difficult to concentrate during days when the air in Beijing was heavily polluted. He knew from previous research conducted by another lab that young students living in polluted areas performed more poorly in exams, but there was no exploration of whether this held true for a broader population and, if it did, what specific effects the toxins were having on cognitive function.