The air quality of two of India’s most important cities have been deteriorating with the onset of winter. New Delhi, which is India’s national capital, and Mumbai, which is labeled as the financial capital, have been witnessing very poor air quality since the beginning of October.
The Air Quality index at New Delhi’s Anand Vihar reached an alarming severity level of 418, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Pollution is a silent killer and a new study has revealed a new fear. Arizona’s Barrow Neurological Institute’s new study states that the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is 56 percent higher when associated with air pollution, reported news agency PTI.
Brittany Krzyzanowski, who is a lead researcher from the institute says that previous studies have shown fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 can cause inflammation in the brain. A recognised process that may lead to Parkinson’s disease development is inflammation in the brain.
The relationship, found by the US researchers, between air pollution and Parkinson’s disease was published in the journal Neurology. The research mentioned that the relationship was not the same in every part of the United States, as it varies in strength by region.
India’s AQI levels by CPCB
Meanwhile, data by SAFAR-India at 6 am mentions the air quality of the national capital, New Delhi as ‘very poor’ for the fourth straight day. The pollution levels have entered the ‘severe’ zone in parts of the city.
The CPCB looks at the other cities in India and the data at 3 pm says that Mumbai’s AQI at BKC stands at poor (208), Kalyan (205), Thane (121), Hyderabad (126), Pune (134), Nashik (205), and Navi Mumbai (286).
The AQI at most of the places in the National capital were reportedly very poor or severe. While Bawana reported an AQI of 389, Anand Vihar stood at 418, IGI Airport at 330, Punjabi Bagh at 380, and ITO at 328.
Research Findings
In their study, US researchers identified approximately 90,000 individuals with neurological conditions from the Medicare dataset, which encompasses about 22 million people in the United States.
Following the discovery, they computed the mean annual levels of fine particulate matter in these specific areas. The report suggested a connection between an individual’s prior exposure to fine particulate matter and their subsequent likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Study Results
The report highlighted the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley as a hotspot for Parkinson’s disease in the United States. Other regions such as North Dakota, segments of Texas, Kansas, eastern Michigan, and parts of Florida were also identified.
Additionally, the researchers pointed out that individuals residing in the western half of the US exhibited a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those in other regions.
According to Krzyzanowski, as cited by PTI, the regional variations in Parkinson’s disease could be indicative of differences in the composition of particulate matter. Certain areas might have particulate matter with higher levels of toxic components compared to others.
