Mental health impacts of air pollution, chemicals and noise

Abstract

Mental, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental disorders arise from complex genetic, social, psychological, lifestyle, and environmental interactions. This umbrella+ review evaluates evidence on mental health impacts of ambient air pollution, environmental chemicals, and transportation noise, prioritizing systematic reviews and recent high-quality European studies. Long-term air pollution is associated with higher incidence of depression, while short-term peaks exacerbate depressive and psychotic symptoms and increase suicide risk. Chemicals such as second-hand smoke, lead, bisphenol A, and pesticides show consistent links to depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety, particularly with prenatal or childhood exposure. Emerging evidence indicates transportation noise increases risks of depression, anxiety, and childhood ADHD, mainly through stress and sleep disruption. These environmental exposures likely make meaningful population-level contributions to Europe’s mental health burden, especially during sensitive early developmental periods. Prevention should reduce environmental pollution while leveraging the restorative potential of natural environments, with future research addressing long-term, cumulative effects and socioeconomic vulnerability. © European Topic Centre on Human health and the environment