Robert Lee Hotz of the Wall Street Journal, of all places, put it best: "Congested cities are fast becoming test tubes for scientists studying the impact of traffic fumes on the brain."
And what are these researchers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Boston, New York, North Carolina, Beijing, Poland and the Netherlands finding? That exposure to air pollution, particularly to vehicle exhaust, can be linked to brain damage, anxiety, depression, attention problems and autism, and also possibly heighten the risk of Alzheimer's disease and speed the effects of Parkinson's disease.
A forum, news site and archive begun in February, 2007 about politics and the environment in Wisconsin. And elsewhere.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Freeways Are Great, But Don't Live Too Close To Them
Scientists are finding that freeway fumes are bad for the brain.
"With stubborn consistency, all of Wisconsin’s lake counties from Kenosha to Door continue to receive an “F” for ozone, and while the large metro areas in southeastern Wisconsin are the source of some of these ozone ingredients, most of the counties north of Milwaukee are the victims of weather patterns that carry ozone from areas to the south. "
ReplyDeleteAnd the Republicans continue to diss mass transportation and expand so called "freeways". My lungs suck the filth of 94 air polution everyday. My mind and ears yearn to hear nothing but leaves rustling while walking in our neighborhood.