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Particulate air pollution from different emission sources, cognitive performance, and cognitive declines in India
Boya Zhang, Sara D Adar, Emma Nichols, Alden L Gross, Gavin Shaddick, Matthew L Thomas, Jennifer D'Souza, Sarah Petrosyan et al.. Environment international, 2025-09-27
Topic: Air pollution and environmental exposures
Among 5,699 participants (mean age: 70±8 years), we observed total PM2.5 concentrations ranging from 16 to 206 μg/m3. Higher concentrations of total PM2.5 were not associated with cognitive performance at baseline but were associated with faster declines over time (-0.012/year per SD, 95 % CI: -0.021, -0.004). Among PM2.5 from different sources, PM2.5 from energy production, industry, and residential combustion were associated with steeper cognitive declines over time, whereas PM2.5 from agriculture, transportation, wildfires, and windblown dust were associated with slower cognitive declines. Higher long-term total ambient PM2.5 concentrations and those from residential combustion sources were associated with accelerated cognitive declines. This suggests that intervention in residential sources might reduce or delay the onset of dementia and promote healthier aging in low and middle-income settings.
Key findings
- Among 5,699 participants (mean age: 70±8 years), we observed total PM2.5 concentrations ranging from 16 to 206 μg/m3.
- Higher concentrations of total PM2.5 were not associated with cognitive performance at baseline but were associated with faster declines over time (-0.012/year per SD, 95 % CI: -0.021, -0.004).
- Among PM2.5 from different sources, PM2.5 from energy production, industry, and residential combustion were associated with steeper cognitive declines over time, whereas PM2.5 from agriculture, transportation, wildfires, and windblown dust were associated with slower cognitive declines.
- Higher long-term total ambient PM2.5 concentrations and those from residential combustion sources were associated with accelerated cognitive declines.
- This suggests that intervention in residential sources might reduce or delay the onset of dementia and promote healthier aging in low and middle-income settings.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants5,699
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 39 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 70 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Environment international) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,699 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41045631) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 39 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 39 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 70 out of 100. |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Zhang, B., Adar, S. D., Nichols, E., Gross, A. L., Shaddick, G., Thomas, M. L., et al. (2025). Particulate air pollution from different emission sources, cognitive performance, and cognitive declines in India. Environment international. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109826
Vancouver
Zhang B, Adar SD, Nichols E, Gross AL, Shaddick G, Thomas ML, et al. Particulate air pollution from different emission sources, cognitive performance, and cognitive declines in India. Environment international. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2025.109826. PMID: 41045631.
BibTeX
@article{zhang2025-41045631,
author = {Zhang, Boya and Adar, Sara D and Nichols, Emma and Gross, Alden L and Shaddick, Gavin and Thomas, Matthew L and D'Souza, Jennifer and Petrosyan, Sarah and others},
title = {{Particulate air pollution from different emission sources, cognitive performance, and cognitive declines in India}},
journal = {Environment international},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2025.109826},
pmid = {41045631},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109826}
}
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