[Editorial] Air pollution and brain health: an emerging issue (Lancet Neurology)

Environmental risk factors, particularly air pollution, have been associated with increased risk of neurological disorders. In 2017, The Lancet Commission on pollution and health reported that all types of pollution (ie, air, water, soil, chemical, and occupational pollutants) is the world`s largest environmental cause for poor health, responsible for about 9 million deaths in 2015--16% of all deaths globally. Exploring, understanding, and preventing the effects of sustained exposure to air pollutants on the brain, and possible links to diseases of the nervous system, will be one of the future challenges for global health, and was the topic of discussion at the 2nd International Meeting on Environmental Health, held Nov 29-Dec 1, 2017, in Strasbourg, France.