Older Diesel Engines โLinked to Brain Cell Damage, Raising Concernsโค About Neurodegenerative Disease Risk
Recent research indicates thatโข emissions from older diesel enginesโ may pose a threat to โbrain health, specifically impacting crucialโค immune cells called microglia. While modern diesel vehicles equipped with Euro 6 standards and particle filters produce substantially “cleaner” emissions, โคolder models lacking these technologies release particles that demonstrably โdisrupt microglial function, potentially increasing the risk of chronic neuroinflammation and โneurodegenerative diseases.
Microgliaโค act as the brain’s primary immune defense, constantlyโข working to clear cellular wasteโ andโฃ maintain โฃbalance. โA study led by Dr. Sohvi Ohtonen at Karolinska Institutetโฃ exposed microglia to particles from both older (“A20, A0”) and newer (“E6”) diesel engines. The โresults โขwere stark: exposure to particles from older engines triggered marked changes โin gene expression,โ reduced activity in lysosomes โขand phagocytosis (cellular โฃwaste removal โprocesses), andโฃ activated cellular stress pathways like ferroptosis โand pyroptosis. These disruptions hinder the brain’s ability to โclear waste, fostering an surroundings conducive to chronic โneuroinflammation.
In contrast, E6 particles from modern, Euro 6 โcompliant enginesโฃ had “almost no impact” โon the microglia under the study’s โconditions.However, researchers caution that even prolonged exposure toโค diesel pollution from โฃnewer vehiclesโฃ could stillโค contribute to an increased risk of brain diseases, suggesting โfurther refinement of fuel composition -โ specifically reducing aromatic compoundsโ and black carbon – โcould mitigateโข toxicityโ across all vehicle types.
The key difference lies โin theโฃ particle composition. Older diesel engines, “often lacking modern โขfiltration systems“, generate particles rich in black carbonโ and polycyclic aromaticโ hydrocarbons โฃ(PAHs). Modern Euro 6 vehicles, equipped with particle filters,โ primarily emit E6 particles with significantlyโ lower concentrations of these toxic components.
Determining which category your vehicle falls into is straightforward: check section V.9 ofโค your vehicle’s registration โฃdocument (gray card). The presenceโฃ of “EURO 6”, “EUROโข 6b”, or “EURO 6d-TEMP” indicates compliance with โขtheโ newer, cleaner standards.
This research aligns with broader studies linking air pollution – particularly โฃfine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen โฃdioxide, and soot -โ to an increasedโฃ risk โof โฃdementia. The findings underscore that air pollution’s impact extends beyond โthe lungs, directly affecting brain โhealth and โคpotentially contributing to โthe progress of neurodegenerative diseases. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of different engine and โfuel technologies on brain function.