Capital's toxic air 'sparking depression in young Londoners'

Toxic air exposure could be contributing to mental health issues in young Londoners who live in worst-polluted areas, research has shown.

King’s College London scientists found teenagers living around sources of pollution were more than twice as likely to have depression than those in areas where the air is relatively clean.

The study, funded by the Medical Research Council and published in the Psychiatry Research journal, cross-referenced pollution data from monitoring stations across the capital with detailed interviews of 142 sets of twins, at the ages of 12 and 18.

It found that pollution exposure in the 12-year-olds was not linked to mental health problems but by 18 there was a “substantially elevated likelihood of depression”. In all, 32 per cent of teens who lived in areas with high levels of PM2.5 particulates had experienced depression by the age of 18, compared to 14 per cent living in parts with cleaner air, according to the study.

It found that depression could be linked to inflammation in the growing adolescent brain and by the particles blocking airways. Researchers took into account variables such as sex, neighbourhood, smoking, and family psychiatric history. Living near to noisy roads can also add to stress fuelling mental health problems, said lead researcher Dr Helen Fisher, a reader in developmental psychopathology.

The study said: “Children may be susceptible to neurological injury from air pollution because their brains are still developing and they are likely to have less-established natural barriers in the lungs to protect against inhaled particles.” Dr Fisher added: “This pilot study provides us with initial clues that air pollution associated with physical health problems, is also associated with mental health problems.”