Is Air Pollution Quietly Increasing Brain Tumour Risk? Study Sheds Light
Air pollution may not only damage the heart and lungs, but could also increase the risk of meningioma a typically noncancerous brain tumour according to a new study published in Neurology. The study does not prove that air pollution causes meningioma they only show a link between the two.
The study, led by researchers from the Danish Cancer Institute, analysed several air pollutants, with a focus on those commonly associated with traffic emissions, such as nitrogen dioxide and ultrafine particles. These microscopic particles are particularly concentrated in urban areas and, due to their size, can potentially penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
“Our study suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution from traffic and other sources may play a role in the development of meningioma and adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution can affect the brain not just the heart and lungs,” said Ulla Hvidtfeldt, a doctoral student at the Danish Cancer Institute in Copenhagen.
The research included adults with an average age of 35 and followed them for 21 years. Over that period, 16,596 individuals developed central nervous system tumours, including 4,645 cases of meningioma. The findings showed a possible association between exposure to ultrafine particles and an increased risk of developing these tumours. However, the study did not find strong connections between air pollution and more aggressive brain tumours like gliomas.
“More research is needed to confirm these results, but if cleaning up our air can help lower the risk of brain tumours, that could make a real difference for public health,” Hvidtfeldt added.
While the study does not prove causation, it raises important public health questions about the broader impact of air pollution on neurological health.
Reference: Hvidtfeldt, Ulla A. et al., Ambient Outdoor Air Pollution and Risk of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, 2025, Neurology, V 105, doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000213920, https://www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213920
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