Environment & Health Seminar: Exposure To Ambient Air Pollution And The Incidence Of Dementia In Ontario

Abstract: Dementia is a severe neurological disorder that significantly deteriorates quality of life and survival of individuals. It currently affects 47 million people worldwide and the number is expected to triple by 2050. However, the risk factors that make a person more likely to develop dementia are largely unknown. Emerging studies suggest that air pollution may affect brain health. However, little is known about the influence of air pollution on the new onset of dementia. In this talk, I will present three complementary studies that have been conducted in Ontario linking past exposure to air pollution to incident dementia, and will discuss some future research endeavours to refine our understanding of the influence of air pollution on dementia risk.

Brief Bio: Dr. Hong Chen is a Research Scientist with Population Studies Division, Health Canada. He is also a scientist, Environmental Health Assessment, at Public Health Ontario, adjunct scientist at ICES, and assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. His current research has focused on health effects of exposure to environmental factors, particularly ambient air pollution. He is also interested in evaluating the effectiveness of environmental health policies and programs using quasi-experiments and causal inference methods.