Several studies on the subject have been carried out over the last few years.
ADVERTISING
One of them, prepared by Johns Hopkins Hospital (🇬🇧), in the United States, analyzed 2.690 patients over a period of four years. About 20% had anosmia (loss of smell) and most did not smoke.
The conclusion? Levels of PM2,5 – the collective name for small particles of air pollution – were “significantly higher” in neighborhoods where anosmia patients lived compared to healthy control participants. Even when adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, alcohol or tobacco use, the results were the same.
More pollution, less smells
Another recent survey, carried out in Italy, found that noses of teenagers and young adults become less sensitive to smells (🇬🇧) the more nitrogen dioxide – a pollutant produced when fossil fuels are burned, particularly from vehicle engines – they are exposed to.
ADVERTISING
In Brazil we are also collecting information on the topic. An article published at the beginning of the year (🇬🇧), revealed that people living in areas with greater particulate pollution had an impaired sense of smell.
Research further concludes that loss of smell has been linked to an increased likelihood of depression and anxiety and is known to play a role in obesity, weight loss, malnutrition and cases of food poisoning. 😖
@curtonews Is air pollution making us lose our sense of smell? 🤔New research reveals the true damage caused by the pollution we breathe every day. #CurtoNews ♬ original sound – Curto News
Read also
(🇬🇧): content in English
(*): Content in other languages translated by Google Tradutor
(🚥): may require registration and/or subscription
