5 Environmental Pollutants That Could Accelerate Ageing (And How To Avoid Them)

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When it comes to extending human lifespan and improving health naturally, diet and exercise remain the most important factors. However, the focus on diet and exercise can sometimes lead us to forget about less obvious, yet still modifiable factors. We don’t generally think about the health implications of pollutants on a daily basis because they are simply there, in the air or in our water supply, and usually completely unnoticeable. Yet an increasing amount of research suggests that these omnipresent contaminants might accelerate the ageing process, putting us at greater risk of age-related diseases and shortening our lifespans. Here are (in no particular order) five environmental pollutants you should watch out for, where they come from, and how to limit your exposure.

1: Particulate Matter (PMx)

What is it?
Particulate matter refers to a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. These particles vary in size and composition and can include dust, dirt, soot, smoke, tiny bits of metals and organic chemicals. Particulate matter is categorized based on size, with PM10 and PM2.5 being common references, indicating particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less and 2.5 micrometers or less, respectively.

Where does it come from?
Vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and natural events like wildfires are the most common sources of PMs.

What is the impact?
Human studies suggest that lifelong exposure to PM2.5 or smaller is associated with a roughly one year reduction in life expectancy, though the reduction could be as high as two years in the most polluted regions of the world.

How can you avoid it?
Environmental agencies provide live PM readouts, which can help plan to avoid spending time outdoors when PM levels are highest. Some air purifiers and ventilation systems can also filter PMs and reduce indoor levels. If you have to go outdoors when PM levels are particularly high, some masks can also filter PMs.

2: Heavy Metals

What are they?
Heavy metals are a group of metallic elements that are toxic at low concentrations. The most well-known heavy metals are lead and mercury. They are typically cleared from the body very slowly, which means that even brief exposures can have long term impacts.

Where do they come from?
Heavy metals are naturally found in the Earth’s crust, but can be released into the environment through human activities such as mining and the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Heavy metals can also enter the atmosphere naturally (such as from volcanic eruptions) and unnaturally (such as from waste incineration) and then be carried and deposited elsewhere.

What is their impact?
The impact of different heavy metals varies – lead exposure, for example, is thought to be responsible for over 5 million annual premature deaths from cardiovascular disease. Cadmium exposure has been associated with kidney dysfunction, while mercury exposure is associated with both cardiovascular disease and neurological impairment.

How can you avoid them?
It is essentially impossible to avoid ingesting some heavy metals, but you can cut down your exposure through dietary modifications. Washing food thoroughly may remove some heavy metals. Animal products (especially fish and red meat), leafy vegetables and rice tend to contain the highest levels of heavy metals, but it’s not advisable to substitute a healthy food with a less healthy alternative just to cut down your exposure – the tradeoff is unlikely to be favourable. If your water is particularly contaminated, it may be worth drinking and cooking with filtered water. Some practices may also accelerate the removal of heavy metals from the body, but you should be cautious about such claims, as they are often not well backed by scientific evidence. For a more detailed discussion on what those practices are, you can read this article.

3: Organic Pollutants

What are they?
Organic pollutants encompass a wide range of organic molecules, from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene to pesticides and herbicides.

Where do they come from?
Organic pollutants come from a variety of human activities including fossil fuel combustion, industrial waste, agriculture, plastic and domestic cleaning agents.

What is their impact?
Organic pollutants can disrupt hormonal function in humans, and many are also carcinogenic. Some are also associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

How can you avoid them?
Exposure to organic pollutants may be reduced with similar strategies to those used for heavy metals: washing food, filtering water and choosing foods that tend to have lower levels of organic pollutants. In this case, fatty foods may contain more organic pollutants as some of these chemicals accumulate in animal fat. Outside of diet, using cleaning products containing fewer toxic chemicals and cutting down the use of plastic may also help to reduce exposure.

4: Non-organic gaseous air pollutants

What are they?
Gaseous air pollutants are pollutants that exist as gasses under atmospheric conditions – sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) are the most commonly discussed when it comes to outdoor air quality.

Where do they come from?
NO2 and SO2 are primarily produced in combustion processes, while ozone is formed in the atmosphere when other pollutants react upon exposure to sunlight.

What is their impact?
Long term exposure to gaseous pollutants is associated with airway inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

How can you avoid them?
Because these pollutants are gasses formed from single molecules that will slip through physical barriers that aren’t airtight, they need to be removed through reactions with other chemicals like activated carbon. This will remove a percentage of the pollutant, depending on which gas it is and the nature of the filter. Otherwise, the only way to reduce exposure to these gasses it to avoid areas where their concentration is high.

5: Microplastics

What are they?
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can be anywhere between 1 micrometre to 5 mm in size.

Where do they come from?
Microplastics originate from the breakdown of waste plastics, as well as from plastic manufacturing processes.

What is their impact?
The impact of microplastics on human health is a relatively recent and emerging field of research, but evidence currently suggests that microplastics can promote human diseases. For example, one study detected microplastics within fatty plaques within the carotid artery, and found that this was associated with increased risk of stroke, heart attack and death. Another study linked microplastics in the brain with a higher risk of dementia.

How can you avoid them?
Reducing microplastic exposure is relatively straightforward – limit the use of plastics as much as possible. In particular, avoid heating food within plastic containers, as this may cause the release of microplastics into the food. More processed foods tend to have come into contact with more plastic during their manufacture and packaging, leading to higher contamination with microplastics.

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So, while perhaps not as important or as easy to modify as diet and exercise, there is increasing evidence that we should be paying more attention to our exposure to pollutants. Rough estimates based on French data suggest that, as a whole, environmental exposures are responsible for an average reduction in healthy life of 2.1 years. In other words, death or disability occurs around 2.1 years earlier than it otherwise would in the absence of these environmental exposures. That should warrant some serious attention from anyone looking to live as long and as healthily as they can.