Air Pollution and Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease of unclear etiology that is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Air pollution, the largest environmental health risk globally, has been suggested to be associated with PD risk, while not all results are uniform. In this chapter, we summarize the recent advances in the epidemiology of six criteria air pollutants-fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), inhalable particles (PM 10), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), carbon monoxide(CO), and ozone exposure with PD risk, and provided an overview of the potential mechanisms of air pollution on PD. Based on the current evidence from the human's studies and animal models, this chapter provides a novel insight for the understanding of how environmental exposure influences the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and prevents the occurrence or development of PD.