Is there a link between pollution and suicide? Researchers in Utah believe the answer is yes.
An epidemiologist at the University of Utah says there is a link between pollution and physical inflammation that affects the brain, according by Yahoo.com.
According to the study, led by Amanda Bakian, inflammation can be caused by pollution. During inflammation, certain acids in the brain are released and one type, quinolinic acid, has been linked to suicidal thoughts.
Inflammation has previously been linked to the amount of pollutant particles in the air.
In the case of the most recent study, Bakian and her team worked with the medical examiner's office to analyze data and how the number of suicides correlated to the the amount of pollution in the air.
The team looked at the amount of particles of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide that had been present in the air at the time of suicides in the same region.
The surprising results indicated that the suicide rate increased two days after the levels of fine particles of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide rose. The suicides were most prevalent in the spring and among men between the ages of 25 and 64.
The report was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Other researchers caution that there are different factors involved in suicide, including emotional factors, mental illness and cultural influences.
Supporting documents that the team considered including other studies on suicide from scientists in Denmark, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada which also linked pollution to suicide, according to Yahoo.com.
