Air pollution and disease progression in a University of Michigan amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohort

For Public Health

At a glance

Study on the effects of air pollution on ALS disease progression
Image of front two pages of a scientific paper

Affiliates

Meredith Pedde1, Sara D. Adar1, Jennifer D'Souza1, Eva L. Feldman2, Stephen A. Goutman2

  1. University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
  2. University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Neurology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Journal

Environmental Research

Summary

Researchers at the University of Michigan studied nearly 500 people with ALS over about 15 years to see whether air pollution affected how quickly the disease progressed. They found that people with higher long-term exposure to certain types of air pollution—especially black carbon from traffic and nitrate pollution linked to agriculture—tended to lose physical function faster than those with lower exposure levels. Short-term exposure to ozone was also linked to slightly faster decline. The study suggests that some air pollutants may worsen ALS progression even at pollution levels near current U.S. standards, raising the possibility that reducing exposure through cleaner air policies or personal measures like indoor air filtration could help slow disease worsening. However, the researchers note that more studies are needed to confirm these findings and better understand which pollutants are most harmful.

Link to Paper

Read the paper here!

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry