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Nitrogen dioxide, which is mainly emitted from automobile exhaust gas, is a serious air pollutant along with fine dust, and a domestic research result showed that the higher the concentration of nitrogen dioxide, the higher the risk of'Parkinson's disease'.



Medical reporter Yoo Seung-hyun, a specialist, reports.



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A typical symptom of Parkinson's disease is the frequent walking, trembling hands while still, and stiffness when turning wrists.



As of last year, 120,000 people in Korea suffer from Parkinson's disease.



[Parkinson's disease patient (70 years old, diagnosed 11 years ago): My arm is shaking here. Little by little... .] It



has been found that damage to the specific brain area responsible for exercise is the cause, but we don't know why.



However, a domestic investigation confirmed that nitrogen dioxide, the main component of automobile exhaust gas, increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.



Asan Medical Center in Seoul has tracked 78,000 citizens in Seoul for up to nine years and calculated the amount of exposure to nitrogen dioxide concentration.



The most exposed group had a 41% higher risk of Parkinson's disease than the least exposed group.



It is presumed that nitrogen dioxide enters the brain through the olfactory nerve like fine dust.



[Seon-ju Jeong/Professor of Neurology at Seoul Asan Hospital: Nitric dioxide in the brain is known to decrease mitochondrial function of brain cells, but Parkinson's disease patients are characterized by the decrease in mitochondrial function of brain cells.



Last year, Seoul National University's Graduate School of Environmental Studies conducted a survey of 81 metropolitan cities in the world. Seoul had the third highest concentration of nitrogen dioxide, which was twice as high as that of London, UK and Chicago, USA.



Parkinson's disease can be diagnosed early and delayed if medications are taken.



As air pollution has been shown to increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease as well as respiratory diseases, more detailed countermeasures are needed.



(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, video editing: Choi Eun-jin, screen courtesy: Seoul Asan Hospital)