Let’s Clear the Air – Reducing Air Pollution for Brain Health
- E7
- 36:10
- January 9th 2024
This episode of Defy Dementia focuses on outdoor and indoor air pollution and its impact on brain health. First, we speak to Dr. Mark Weisskopf (Harvard University) about outdoor pollution, such as wildfire smoke, and how it may increase your dementia risk. Then, we meet Shiven Taneja, a Mississauga teen who builds do-it-yourself (DIY) air purifiers at a low cost for vulnerable community members. Finally, Dr. Tara Kahan (University of Saskatchewan) discusses ways to reduce your exposure to indoor sources of pollution, such as cooking and candle fumes. Tune in today for practical tips on lowering your indoor and outdoor pollution exposure, and decrease your dementia risk!
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Resources
Studies on air pollution and dementia risk:
- Western research shows traffic related air pollution linked to increased risk of dementia – from Western University
- Air pollution linked to higher dementia risk: Study – from WebMD
- Air pollution may increase risk for dementia – from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Check the air quality in your area:
- Local Air Quality Health Index – from the Government of Canada
- Air Now – Air Quality Index for the US – from the US Government
- Air Pollution in World: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map
Tips to reduce your air pollution exposure:
- Tips for reducing indoor pollutants in your home – from HealthLinkBC
- Improve indoor air quality in your home – from the Government of Canada
- 10 tips to protect yourself from unhealthy air – from the American Lung Association
How to build your own air purifier:
- Science in action: How to build a Corsi-Rosenthal box – from UC Davis College of Engineering
Defy Dementia – The podcast for anyone with a brain, by Baycrest
Defy Dementia is an empowering new podcast by Baycrest that is dedicated to helping you reduce your dementia risk. Join us on a captivating exploration of key dementia risk factors as we interview experts, hear inspiring stories from persons with lived experience, and share practical advice to help you optimize your aging journey. Tune in and subscribe at defydementia.ca or anywhere you get your podcasts, and unlock the power to age fearlessly and defy dementia.
Each episode will be complemented by a short video, infographic, and related resources to help you take control of your brain health.
Defy Dementia is hosted by Jay Ingram (Canadian author and broadcaster) and Dr. Allison Sekuler (President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation). The podcast is generously funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
About Our Hosts
Jay Ingram has more than 40 years of experience as an author, broadcaster, and science communicator. He was co-host of Discovery Channel's science show, Daily Planet, for 16 years, and was instrumental in helping shape the program format. He also hosted CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks for 12 years, earning him two ACTRA Awards, and had a weekly science column in the Toronto Star for 12 years. He has written 20 books. In 1984, Jay was awarded the Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for his efforts to popularize science, and he also earned the Royal Society of Canada’s McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science in 1997. In 2000, Jay was awarded a Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2009 he was named to The Order of Canada. In addition, he is the 2015 recipient of the Walter C. Alvarez award for medical writing given by the American Medical Writers Association.
Dr. Allison Sekuler (FSEP, FPsyS, FAPS) is the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, the President and Chief Scientist at the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education and at the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). A graduate of Pomona College (BA, Mathematics and Psychology) and the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Psychology), Dr. Sekuler holds faculty positions in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University. Her foundational research uses behavioural and neuroimaging approaches to understand perception, cognition, and the brain; and her clinical and translational research aims to develop methods to prevent, detect, and treat age-related sensory and cognitive decline. Dr. Sekuler has won numerous national and international awards for research, teaching, and leadership – including serving as the country’s first Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and recently being named one of WXN's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2019).