Urgent action needed to understand links between air pollution and mental health

In a paper published by the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, researchers led by psychiatrist Professor Kam Bhui at the University of Oxford, say that while poor air quality is a risk factor for mental illness, progress in understanding the causes and impact has been too slow.

With the climate change crisis affecting air pollution, the researchers urge a team approach, encouraging researchers across different disciplines, both regionally and globally, to come together to speed up research and discover effective interventions.

Professor Bhui, Professor of Psychiatry at Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, says: 'Existing evidence suggests that mental illness is more prevalent in deprived and urban areas where the influence of higher levels of air pollution may have been overlooked.

'We know air pollution, poor housing, social determinants of illness, and noise pollution, all impact more on the most marginalised populations in whom the rates of mental illness and long-term conditions are highest, adding to premature mortality.

'If we can better measure the effects, and understand the mechanisms, we can put in place more effective prevention strategies in the population, as well as provide better care for those with pre-existing conditions.'

The authors of the paper, which include environment and air quality experts, chemists, biologists and health specialists from universities across the country, say researchers must pool their knowledge and resources on how to measure air pollution, especially bioaerosols (particles including bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as parts of living organisms such as pollen), and how this affects mental health.

Professor Chas Bountra, the University of Oxford's Pro-Vice Chancellor of Innovation, said: 'We want to accelerate the climate change research being done across the university, by bringing together experts working in many different fields. It is imperative that we better understand the impact of air quality, and pollution more broadly, on mental health. We must minimise the causes, as well as the detrimental outcomes.'

Professor Bhui says gathering more data across wider areas is key to improving knowledge. He added: 'We need to establish new cohorts and integrated data sets across disciplines and contrasting geographical areas. This means overcoming silos of knowledge generation so that we can understand the causes at the environmental and molecular levels.'

The paper ‘Air quality and mental illness: role of bioaerosols, causal mechanisms and research priorities’ is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open.