Just one hour of air pollution worsens brain function

Study Finds - 

• Just one hour of exposure to particulate matter air pollution can impair your ability to focus and read emotions, with effects lasting at least four hours after exposure – even at pollution levels commonly found in urban areas
• The cognitive effects occur whether breathing through the nose or mouth, suggesting air pollution likely affects brain function through lung-based mechanisms rather than direct neural pathways
• While pollution impairs selective attention and emotion recognition, basic mental functions like working memory and reaction time remain unaffected, indicating that higher-order cognitive processes are more vulnerable to air pollution’s effects