"Breathing in polluted air may wreak havoc on our DNA, reprogramming our genes in as few as three days and causing increased rates of cancer and other diseases." This quote is from a recent study that tracked the damage done to DNA in a group of steel factory workers who were regularly exposed to particulate matter. While the average person would expect not to be exposed to the same air pollution as steel factory workers the levels, the same damage can occur to people who live in cities breathing the normal air after a few weeks. Particulate matter is small particles of metal, dust and soot that is suspended in the air and when these paricles are breathed in they embed in the lungs and other tissue causing health problems. This information has been known for some time but what was not known was that the embedded particles also slow the methylation, or organization of genes into different chemical groups, in the DNA. Fewer groups of genes expressed means that there are less proteins being formed which are essential for the regular maintenance of the body.
Not all of the recent studies on air pollution have shown bad results however, the vitamin folic acid has been found to speed up this same methylation process and in effect possibly counteract the effects of particulate matter on the DNA. Also a new cheaper and more efficient method has been discovered at measuring the amount of pollutants in the air. The metallic fragments that pollute the air often adhere to plant leaves creating a very slight magnetic field on the leaves. While this magnetic field isnt strong enough to attract magnets it can be detected with other magnetic techniques and effectively accurately showing the levels of pollutants in the air.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091019-leaf-leaves-magnetic-pollution.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090517-pollution-changes-dna.html
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