Technology

Study: Pollution weakens human bones; environmental factors at fault

By on Friday, March 3, 2023

The research team collected data from a group of more than 9,000 postmenopausal women for 6 years to determine that air pollution  influences bone structure in humans.

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A new study led by biomedical scientist Diddier Prada from Columbia University in New York, and recently published in The Lancet,  points out that environmental pollution and, above all, air pollution have another adverse effect on the health of human beings. . The report highlights that this situation is causing the bones of human beings to become more fragile.

The research team behind the study noted that the more rapid bone loss from osteoporosis is also caused by air pollution . This chronic skeletal condition degenerates the bones until they become more brittle and more prone to breaking. To accomplish this, they collected data on a diverse group of 9,041 postmenopausal women for 6 years.

Pollution is even worse than previously thought

The study authors looked at bone mineral density in their sample, a surrogate indicator of osteoporosis and risk of bone fracture. After this, they investigated parameters such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and PM10 particles -pollution particles of less than 10 micrometers- in the homes of the women who were part of the report.

What Diddier and his team found was that as pollution increased, bone mineral density dropped in all bones of the body, including those of the neck, spine and hip. “Our findings confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss, regardless of socioeconomic or demographic factors ,” said the scientist.

Air pollution levels are critical

Previous efforts by Diddier ‘s team have also shown that there is an association between a high level of air pollution and an increased risk of bone fractures or bone loss over time. This new study adds more information about specific postmenopausal women and different mixes of air pollution. The authors highlight the following:

“The study highlights the link between nitrogen and the spine. A 10 percent increase in this type of pollution over 3 years was associated with an average annual loss of 1.22 percent in lumbar spine bone mineral density, twice the amount the team calculated from aging. normal. This is most likely due to bone cell death caused by mechanisms including oxidative stress, in which toxic molecules from the environment damage the body.”

Although the researchers indicate that they cannot confirm these data, it is quite clear that the relationship exists. According to Diddier , “for the first time, we have evidence that nitrogen oxides , in particular, are major contributors to bone damage, and that the lumbar spine is one of the sites most susceptible to this damage . ” However, more work is needed to support this hypothesis until it becomes confirmed.

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