The health impact of climate change and other environmental factors

It is important to note that air pollution  causes harm to human brain health, even at levels well below the current standards. As a country with low levels of air pollution, Netherland is well suited to conduct studies on hazards of air pollution exposure at low concentrations. Such studies can help other countries to enact more stringent air quality standards. In addition, the impact of climate on the brain is of both academic and social concerns. Netherland is one of the most vulnerable countries to a rise in sea levels due to global climate change. However, we also need to be aware that the harm of climate change goes far beyond rising sea levels. We should work to improve the evidence to make a bridge between policy making and scientific researches. This project will focus on the association between air pollution (including PM2.5, ozone, NO2) and brain health (cognitive dysfunctions, prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, mental disorders). The role of health-related behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleeping quality, and diets) will be investigated as well. Modulation analysis will be used to explore possible gene-environment interaction; mediation analysis will be used to shed light on the possible biological pathways along with biochemistry indicators of transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics from urine data and blood samples.