Montana summers are often plagued by smoke filled skies, and new research out of the University of Montana shows that that air pollution may have a significant negative impact on the IQ of children as young as 11.

Dr. Lilian Calderon from the UM Center for Structural and Functional Neurosciences says that about 20 percent of the population has a gene that puts them at risk.

"Children that carry the apolipoprotein ε4 allele, living in an environment where they live around urban pollution have the hallmark for Alzheimer's disease as early as age 11," Calderon said. "The results suggest that the children perfectly healthy otherwise, carrying the  apolipoprotein ε4 allele, have 10 points in the IQ less than their counterparts."

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the study is the short duration of exposure needed to have a negative impact on the brain.

"The process of neuro-inflammation starts right away and this is a cascade event," Calderon said. "Once you start with the process of inflammation, the process keeps going in the brain unless you do something about it. The neuro-inflammation and systemic inflammation start just a few hours before its exposure."

Calderon says that these negative impacts can occur even when the air quality warning is only for sensitive groups.

 

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