Air pollution and mental health: Study finds better air quality linked to reduced suicide rates

Air pollution is linked to multiple health diseases. Exposure to bad air quality may significantly contribute to respiratory issues, the development of asthma, lung cancer and even mental health conditions.

A recent study conducted in China has revealed that lower air pollution levels may be linked to lower suicide rates. In over just five years, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara calculated that China’s efforts to reduce air pollution have avoided 46,000 suicide deaths in the country.

For the study, the team used weather conditions to mock the factors affecting pollution and suicide rates, arriving at what they consider to be a truly causal connection. They found that the unearthed air quality works as a key factor in influencing mental health. The results of the study have been published in the journal Nature Sustainability.

According to the researchers, issues like air pollution are often framed as physical health problems leading to a range of health conditions like chronic asthma, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. However, the researchers earlier studied the effect of temperature on suicide rates in India, when they found that excess amount of heat drives those rates up.

Effects of pollution on mental health

According to earlier studies, it has been found that women in China are driven by acute problems. Pollution has an acute effect on mental health and can adversely impact older women. The occurrence appears to take place relatively quickly. The researchers noted that the rates rose within the first week of air pollution exposure and then suddenly dropped once the conditions enhanced.