Airborne Exposure to Pollutants and Mental Health: A Review with Implications for United States Veterans.
Lt Col Andrew J HoisingtonKelly A Stearns-YoderElizabeth J KovacsTeodor T PostolacheLisa A BrennerPublished in: Current environmental health reports (2024)
Although associations between airborne pollutants and negative physical health outcomes have been a topic of previous investigations, work highlighting associations between exposures and psychological health is only starting to emerge. Research on criteria pollutants and mental health outcomes has the most robust results to date, followed by traffic-related air pollutants, and then pesticides. In contrast, scarce mental health research has been conducted on exposure to heavy metals, jet fuel, and burn pits. Specific cohorts of individuals, such as United States military members and in-turn, Veterans, often have unique histories of exposures, including service-related exposures to aircraft (e.g. jet fuels) and burn pits. Research focused on Veterans and other individuals with an increased likelihood of exposure and higher vulnerability to negative mental health outcomes is needed. Future research will facilitate knowledge aimed at both prevention and intervention to improve physical and mental health among military personnel, Veterans, and other at-risk individuals.
Keyphrases
- mental health
- heavy metals
- air pollution
- particulate matter
- risk assessment
- mental illness
- health risk assessment
- high frequency
- randomized controlled trial
- magnetic resonance
- health risk
- climate change
- public health
- wound healing
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- mass spectrometry
- sensitive detection
- computed tomography
- fluorescent probe
- social media
- drinking water
- depressive symptoms
- gas chromatography