Written by Jordan Lenoir
Environmental degradation, and more specifically wildfire smoke, worsens air quality tremendously and does not only affect the general health of people, but according to the Alzheimer’s Association, deeply affects Alzheimer’s disease and brain health.
In yesterday’s segment of Asheville FM’s Newshour, Patryk Battle interviewed Katherine Lambert of the Alzheimer’s Association regarding exciting developments from the association’s recent conference which discussed wildfire smoke and how it affects brain health, and how to lower risks of dementia diagnosis regarding air pollution.
The Alzheimer’s Association “has a vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia” and aims for this by not only caring, supporting, and educating, but also lots of research. Lambert dived into the Alzheimer’s Association’s recent international research conference where there were “lot’s of exciting developments on the research front.” Some topics that were discussed at this conference include biomarkers, blood tests, rural and underserved communities, pharmaceutical trial reports, lifestyle intervention, and diagnostic tools.
In recent years, wildfires have become more and more prevalent in North Carolina, which led Battle to sharing, “wildfire smoke is way more significant than a lot of us may think.” Lambert revealed that she was interested to find out just how prevalent wildfire smoke has become and that “wildfire smoke is an increasing threat to brain health.” Lambert shared that “breathing in wildfire smoke can be particularly hazardous” and “the exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of being diagnosed with dementia more than other forms of pollution.”
Lambert revealed that researchers have shared some ways to lower risks: regularly update home air-filtration systems, stay inside during unhealthy levels of air quality, and wear a mask (outside) when air quality levels reach a certain point.
For more on this topic, listen to the full episode on Newshour.
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