Several studies have shown that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of depression. Because PM2.5 is composed of multiple chemical components with differing toxic effects, identifying which components drive this association is essential. To address this, a study examined the relationship between long-term exposure to PM2.5, its major components, and depression risk using medical records from over 23 million older adults (mean age, 76 years).
In single-pollutant analyses, overall PM2.5 mass and four major PM2.5 components, including sulfate (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05), elemental carbon (HR, 1.03), soil dust (HR, 1.03), and ammonium (HR, 1.01), were associated with a higher risk of depression. When multiple PM2.5 components were evaluated together, the association with depression was stronger than that observed for PM2.5 mass alone. Each one-quartile increase in…
