Childhood exposure to air pollution linked to poorer cognitive performance in later life. A new study shows that childhood exposure to indoor air pollution may have long-term effects on brain health, with possible cognitive impairment appearing decades later.

People across the globe, especially in low-income countries, continue to use solid fuels like coal, wood and plant waste for cooking and heating. The resulting indoor air pollution exposes children to smoke and particles at key stages of brain development.

“Nearly 30% of the global population, roughly 2.4 billion people, still cook without clean fuels. Our findings indicate that growing up in a smoke-filled household may impair brain health and cognitive abilities throughout life,” says University of Helsinki researcher Xu Zong.

Published in Social Science & Medicine, a leading international journal on health and social medicine, the study is the first to investigate how early-childhood exposure to indoor air pollution affects cognitive performance in adulthood. It analysed nationally representative data from over 7,000 Chinese adults aged 45 and above , using advanced machine learning techniques.

Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK are proposing thresholds for safe – or at least safer – cannabis use and hope their findings will help people monitor consumption and keep it within recommended limits – similar to how alcohol units guide safer drinking.

Veteran male athletes who have spent years training at high intensity may be at greater risk of serious heart problems while exercising, new University of Leeds research shows. The study shows that male endurance athletes aged over 50 may be more likely to experience abnormal heart rhythms during training if they already have scarring in their heart. The team says their research shows that exercise itself is not dangerous - but the findings suggest that the presence of scar tissue in the heart increases the risk of potentially dangerous heart problems during physical activity.