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May/June 2009 Living Now
This is Your Brain on Pollution

by Jennifer Cox

An hour spent sniffing exhaust fumes may not only give you a headache, but could even alter the way your brain functions, Dutch researchers have found.

A team at Zuyd University in the Netherlands persuaded 10 volunteers to spend an hour in a room filled either with clean air or exhaust from a diesel engine.

Participants were wired up to an electroencephalograph (EEG), a device that records the electrical signals of the brain. They were monitored during the period of exhaust exposure and for an hour after they left the room.

After about 30 minutes, participants in the diesel exhaust room displayed a stress response on the EEG, which is indicative of a change in the way information is being processed in the brain cortex. This effect continued after participants left the exhaust testing room.

Researchers concluded that the long-term effects of exposure to traffic exhaust fumes may interfere with normal brain function and information processing.

Outdoor pollution regulations are vital for protecting our health, but what can you do to improve the air you breathe indoors?

Studies have shown that one plant placed in every 100 square feet of indoor living space can significantly reduce indoor toxins in the air, according to the website Green Plants for Green Buildings.

In a study by NASA, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) emitted from synthetic materials in a controlled biohome environment caused severe burning of the eyes and respiratory discomfort, both classic symptoms of sick building syndrome. When plants and a special prototype fan-assisted plant filter were placed in the living quarters, results showed that most of the VOCs had been removed.

Plants, indoors and out, are vital to healthy green living.

Sources: www.greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org and news.bbc.co.uk.