--- title: Dementia Cause: Air Pollution Near Roads Linked to Ailment description: People who live near a major road are more likely to develop dementia than those who live further away canonical: https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-05T17:15:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:46.165Z article:section: Science og:title: Dementia Cause: Air Pollution Near Roads Linked to Ailment og:description: People who live near a major road are more likely to develop dementia than those who live further away og:url: https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2a32556b1b692af/6988b47aab6d777ec46ac620/air-pollution-road-health.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: air pollution road health og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dementia Cause: Air Pollution Near Roads Linked to Ailment twitter:description: People who live near a major road are more likely to develop dementia than those who live further away twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2a32556b1b692af/6988b47aab6d777ec46ac620/air-pollution-road-health.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Living Near Major Roads Linked to Dementia Risk, Study Says ## Video: Alzheimer's Researcher Rudolph Tanzi on Why he's Optimistic [Watch (HLS stream): Alzheimer's Researcher Rudolph Tanzi on Why he's Optimistic](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ebl6dMCj.m3u8) (3:53)  _Published 2015-08-26. Tanzi is a pioneer in the field of Alzheimer's research, and has spent most of his career studying a disease that plagues 5.3 million Americans every year._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 5:15 PM UTC  Cyclists ride along a road in heavy smog on Dec. 31, 2016 in Beijing, China. Cyclists ride along a road in heavy smog on Dec. 31, 2016 in Beijing, China.Lintao Zhang—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 5:15 PM UTC People who live near a major road are more likely to develop dementia than those who live further away, according to new [research](http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS0140-6736%2816%2932399-6/fulltext). The study, published in _The Lancet_ medical journal, found that people who live within 50 meters (164 feet) of a major roadway are 12% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than their counterparts who live elsewhere. Researchers say that traffic exposure could be responsible for up to one in 10 cases of dementia among people who live near major roads. “Despite the growing impact of these diseases, little is known about their causes and prevention,” says study author Hong Chen of Public Health Ontario. “Busy roads could be a source of environmental stressors that could give rise to the onset of dementia.” **Read More:** [How Bad Air Came Back](http://time.com/4606048/how-bad-air-came-back/) Researchers behind the study tracked 6.6 million adults living in Canada between 2001 and 2012 using postal codes to determine their proximity to a major road. Two pollutants from vehicle exhaust—nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter—were connected to dementia but researchers say they do not account for the full effect. **Read More:** [Here’s How Much Arctic Sea Ice You Melt Each Year](http://time.com/4558782/arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change/) Air pollution has increased in severity in many parts of the world in recent years thanks to rapid economic growth and changes in fuel sources. The study is the latest in a slew of research to show the [devastating effect](http://time.com/4606048/how-bad-air-came-back/) air pollution can have on human health. Other studies have shown how smog can damage the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and more recently harm developing fetuses. Several [initiatives](http://time.com/4354809/paris-air-pollution-car-ban/) across the globe have been launched in recent years to address the issue. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/"},"headline":"Living Near Major Roads Linked to Dementia Risk, Study Says","datePublished":"2017-01-05T17:15:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:46.165Z","description":"It's the latest study to show the devastating health effects of air pollution","url":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/","keywords":["Environment","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2a32556b1b692af/6988b47aab6d777ec46ac620/air-pollution-road-health.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2a32556b1b692af/6988b47aab6d777ec46ac620/air-pollution-road-health.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"air pollution road health","caption":"air pollution road health","creditText":"Lintao Zhang—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/","name":"Living Near Major Roads Linked to Dementia Risk, Study Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Alzheimer's Researcher Rudolph Tanzi on Why he's Optimistic","description":"Tanzi is a pioneer in the field of Alzheimer's research, and has spent most of his career studying a disease that plagues 5.3 million Americans every year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Ebl6dMCj/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-26T15:39:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ebl6dMCj.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/","duration":"PT3M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4623908/dementia-air-pollution/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```