Living near major roads – new study results

UTTRI Faculty Michael J. Widener  was interviewed for a report aired on CBC’s flagship television news program The National on January 5, 2017. An expert in urban planning, Professor Widener was asked to comment after the release of results of an 11-year study showing that living close to heavy traffic was associated with a higher incidence of dementia. “Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study” was published in The Lancet January 4, 2017. Professor Widener was quoted as saying “the potential added health risk of traffic pollution is worth thinking about” and called attention to the need for transportation planning to ease over-burdened urban networks and allow for growth.  >>>Highway dementia   >>>Dementia risk linked to living close to high-traffic roads >>>Abstract – Lancet