Pollution is Bad For Brain, Triggers Alzheimer's

                Minute magnetic particles produced by car engines and brakes can travel into the human brain and may trigger Alzheimer’s disease. The tiny particles of iron oxide, known as magnetite, are toxic and it has been suggested they could play a role in causing or hastening the onset of Alzheimer’s Researchers, discovered microscopic spheres of the mineral magnetite in the brains of 37 people in Manchester and Mexico who had suffered neurodegenerative disease. This strongly magnetic mineral is toxic and has been implicated in the production of active oxygen species (free radicals) in the human brain, which are associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.

                Researchers used spectroscopic analysis to identify the particles as magnetite. Unlike angular magnetite particles that are believed to form naturally within the brain, most of the observed particles were spherical, with diameters up to 150 nanometers (nm), some with fused surfaces, pointing to high temperature formation – such as from vehicle engines or open fires. The spherical particles are often accompanied by nanoparticles containing other metals, such as platinum, nickel and cobalt. The particles they found are strikingly similar to the magnetite nano-spheres that are abundant in the airborne pollution found in urban settings, especially next to busy roads, and which are formed by combustion or frictional heating from vehicle engines or brakes.

                Other sources of magnetite nanoparticles include open fires and poorly sealed stoves within homes. Particles smaller than 200 nm are small enough to enter the brain directly through the olfactory nerve after breathing air pollution through the nose. Researcher’s results indicate that magnetite nanoparticles in the atmosphere can enter the human brain, where they might pose a risk to human health, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. This finding open up a whole new avenue for research into a possible environmental risk factor for a range of different brain diseases.