BOULDER, Colo. — A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder uncovered a link between wildfire smoke exposure and mental illness in youth.
Researchers looked at data from 10,000 kids between the ages of 9 and 11 from across the country and compared it to air pollution levels where those children live.
“The main finding was that in both boys and girls, a higher number of days above the EPA standards was associated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms,” said Harry Smolker, the lead author of the report published in August.
The EPA sets a standard for how much pollution is allowed in the air before it becomes potentially dangerous. The type of pollution this study looked at is called fine particulate air pollution. To be considered a fine particulate, the particles in the air must be below 2.5 micrometers in size.
Denver7’s Ethan Carlson“Their size is actually really important because it’s believed that when they enter the lungs, they’re actually small enough to enter your bloodstream and then pass through the blood-brain barrier and impinge upon your neurons and other brain cells,” said Smolker. “It’s thought that fine particulate air pollution may be particularly detrimental to the brain and behavior because it actually can get into your brain and impinge upon neural tissue.”