Clean air is to be the theme of World Brain Day this weekend as experts call for measures that would reduce the risk of stroke.
As many as 30% of strokes worldwide can be linked to air pollution, according to the World Federation of Neurology.
Campaigners say that 90% of people worldwide breath polluted air – while three billion people use harmful fuels for cooking and heating of their homes.
World Brain Day takes place on Sunday (22 July).
Its chair Professor Mohammed Wasay, from Karachi, Pakistan, said: “The Global Burden of Disease study, carried out by an international team using data from 188 countries, found that up to 30 percent of the global stroke burden can be traced back to pollutants in the air.
“This was the reason behind our decision to select an aspect of environmental pollution as the theme for World Brain Day 2018.”
Professor Wolfgang Grisold, secretary general of the World Federation of Neurology, said: “Preventing neurological disorders is not just a concern for individuals; action needs to be taken at the societal level as well. This is particularly true of man-made environmental impacts, which mankind in turn can ultimately influence. These are important risk factors for diseases affecting the blood vessels in the brain, as well as neurodegenerative conditions.
“This worldwide public health problem requires effective environmental and health-policy strategies aimed at reducing air pollution. It is not just a matter of lung health, but the health of the very organ that makes us humans: our brains.”
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