Fine particulate matter in polluted air enters the body via the lungs and affects our health in a variety of ways

Placenta

This week, scientists announced that they’d found, for the first time, air pollution particles on the foetal side of placental tissue. The discovery may explain the link between increased miscarriages and premature births and exposure to dirty air.

Brain

In 2016, UK scientists found “abundant” quantities of toxic nanoparticles, such as magnetite, from air pollution in human brains. Previous studies have found these particles are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Heart

A 2019 study also found air pollution particles in the heart muscle tissue of city dwellers. “They are inside the mitochondria, which are damaged and appear abnormal,” said lead author Barbara Maher. “Mitochondria are your energy source, making sure your heart pumps effectively.”

Liver

The liver is particularly at risk from air pollution because of its role in cleaning the blood. A study by Wayne State University, Michigan, using animal models found that exposure to particulate matter caused liver fibrosis. And a University of Southern California study found that patients diagnosed with liver cancer who lived in urban areas had lower odds of survival.

Everywhere else…

Earlier this year, a comprehensive global review concluded that air pollution could be damaging every organ in the human body – noting that 70,000 scientific papers have shown it is affecting human health. “Ultrafine particles pass through the [lungs], are readily picked up by cells, and carried via the bloodstream to expose virtually all cells in the body,” the authors explained.