A new study shows that breathing in polluted air could send toxic particles from the lungs to the brain through the bloodstream. This could cause brain disorders and damage to the nervous system.

Scientists have identified a possible direct route taken by various inhaled tiny particles into the bloodstream, with evidence that, once there, the particles remain in the brain longer than in other major metabolic organs.

The findings of an international team of experts from the University of Birmingham and Chinese academic institutions were published today in the journal PNAS.

The researchers discovered numerous tiny particles in human CSF fluids obtained from patients with brain problems, revealing a pathway that could lead to harmful particulate compounds entering the brain.

“There are gaps in our knowledge around the harmful effects of airborne fine particles on the central nervous system,” said co-author Professor Iseult Lynch of the University of Birmingham. “This work sheds new light on the link between inhaling particles and how they subsequently move around the body .”

The findings imply “that up to eight times the number of fine particles may reach the brain by travelling, via the bloodstream, from the lungs than pass directly via the nose – adding new evidence on the relationship between air pollution and detrimental effects of such particles on the brain.”

Air pollution is a mix of many harmful substances, but particulate matter (PM, especially fine particles in the air like PM2.5 and PM0.1) is the most dangerous to your health. Especially ultrafine particles can get past the body’s defenses, like sentinel immune cells and biological barriers.

Recent research has found a strong link between high levels of air pollution and neuroinflammation, changes in the brain that are similar to Alzheimer’s, and cognitive problems in older people and even children.

The research team found that particles inhaled by a person can pass through the air-blood barrier and make their way to the brain, where they can harm the brain’s blood-brain barrier and other tissues. Particles, once lodged in the brain, were difficult to flush out and stayed there for a longer period of time than in other organs.

Their findings add to the body of evidence supporting the dangers of particulate pollution on the central nervous system, but the researchers suggest that more research into the mechanics of how inhaled ambient fine particles reach the brain is needed.

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