Nineteen percent of Americans live near “high-volume” roads, and most cities don’t monitor these corridors for air quality. Regardless of your income, the closer you live to these roads, the higher your risk of autism, stroke and cognitive decline in aging, although the exact reasons haven’t been teased out. Many scientists suspect it has something to do with fine particles causing tissue inflammation and altering gene expression in the brain’s immune cells. “I hold my breath when I’m behind a diesel bus,” said Michelle Block, a neurobiologist who studies pollution’s effects on microglial
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