{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T11:43:49Z","timestamp":1790163829546,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770163200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) poses a pressing public health burden globally. Evidence linking long-term ambient particulate matter exposure to AD risk remains inconsistent, necessitating systematic quantification to inform prevention policies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to September 2025 for cohort studies with \u22651\u202fyear of particulate exposure (PM\n                      <jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>\n                      , PM\n                      <jats:sub>10<\/jats:sub>\n                      , NO\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      , NO\n                      <jats:sub>x<\/jats:sub>\n                      , O\n                      <jats:sub>3<\/jats:sub>\n                      ) and incident\/diagnosed AD. Quality was assessed via the Newcastle\u2013Ottawa Scale (NOS), with random-effects models pooling hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs; subgroup analyses explored heterogeneity by study design, region, and follow-up duration.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Twenty-five high-quality (NOS\u202f\u2265\u202f7\/9) cohort studies involving over 170 million participants were included. Meta-analyses showed higher AD risk with each 5\u202f\u03bcg\/m\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      increase in PM\n                      <jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>\n                      (HR\u202f=\u202f1.24, 95%CI: 1.10\u20131.39), 10\u202f\u03bcg\/m\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      in PM\n                      <jats:sub>10<\/jats:sub>\n                      (HR\u202f=\u202f1.16, 95%CI: 1.01\u20131.33), 10\u202f\u03bcg\/m\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      in NO\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      (HR\u202f=\u202f1.06, 95%CI: 1.00\u20131.12), and 10\u202f\u03bcg\/m\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      in NO\n                      <jats:sub>x<\/jats:sub>\n                      (HR\u202f=\u202f1.05, 95%CI: 1.03\u20131.07). For O\n                      <jats:sub>3<\/jats:sub>\n                      , four included studies showed no significant association (HR\u202f=\u202f1.23, 95%CI: 0.65\u20132.31) with extremely high heterogeneity (\n                      <jats:italic>I<\/jats:italic>\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      =\u202f99.8%), indicating inadequate and unstable evidence. Subgroup analyses confirmed effect modification by study design, region, and follow-up duration; publication bias was low for most pollutants.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We recommend high-risk population screening, stricter emission standards, and prioritizing emission reduction in AD primary prevention\u2014aligning with global efforts to address environmental determinants of neurological health.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Systematic review registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      PROSPERO with the registration number CRD420251174986,\n                      <jats:uri>https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/display_record.php?ID=CRD420251174986<\/jats:uri>\n                      .\n                    <\/jats:p>\n       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