While it has been long known that air pollution has several damaging effects on the population and the environment, including the depletion of the ozone layer, respiratory problems, and a shorter lifespan, a recent survey shows that toxins in the air may also cause some cases of diabetes.
In the August issue of the Diabetes Care Journal, Alan Lockwood, M.D., a UB professor of neurology and nuclear medicine, released information from his study of the levels of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) being examined in correlation with the number of diabetics in areas that are heavily polluted.
Lockwood released the information in a letter to the "Letters: Observations" column of the Diabetes Care Journal, a method which researchers often use as a way to introduce ideas that they think should be considered for more in-depth research.
Approximately 18,000 people in each state were called and given a survey that asked whether they have diabetes.
According to Lockwood, the survey questions were not specific enough to determine whether the person taking the survey had Type-1 (Insulin-Dependent) Diabetes or Type-2 (Non-Insulin Dependent) Diabetes.
"It's not clear by the way the survey was done," said Lockwood. "18,000 people were called, and the question was simply whether or not they had diabetes. So the survey didn't let us know if it was Type-1 or Type-2."
In his published letter, Lockwood explained that the levels of TRI in each state were recorded and compared with the results of the 184,450 randomly dialed participants of the survey. The comparison illustrated that "environmental factors, notably dioxins, have also been noted as contributing factors (to the onset of diabetes)."
According to Lockwood, these studies are new developments in the world of diabetes.
"I looked very thoroughly through medical literature, and no studies have been done linking these two," said Lockwood. "What may happen is that some pollutants, such as dioxins, are being concentrated in the fat of obese people and these then may contribute to the development of diabetes. That is the hypothesis."
While Lockwood's research has suggested a strong link between air pollution and diabetes, Lockwood said it should be remembered that the link is simply a correlation, and it does not imply a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.
"What needs to be done next is the research that allows you to prove or refute the hypothesis," he said. "The ideal would be to study a large group of diabetics, and measure toxins in their bodies against a control group of non-diabetics in the same area."
Lockwood added in his letter: "I hope that this correlation of a highly significant correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and the release of toxicants into the air will stimulate additional research in this area and lead to improvements in health."
