Conclusion
ADVERSE EFFECTS
The current study represents the first controlled human exposure to diesel exhaust investigation using functional MRI. The results of an order-randomized double-blind crossover study of diesel exhaust and control air in healthy adults revealed immediate pollution-attributable declines in default mode network functional connectivity. Change in policy surrounding air pollution exposure has long been driven by a combination of observational and experimental evidence, which together are most compelling especially in the face of interests aggressively opposed to regulation that foster improved air quality. In spite of volumes of existing evidence regarding adverse effects of air pollution, history demonstrates that implicating additional organ systems can augment the already strong evidence and effectively apply further pressure for emissions control in areas lagging in that regard. This data may be informative therein, while deepening the evidence base for direct evidence of neurocognitive effects due to acute exposure to TRAP. As the changes in cognition we have demonstrated may put individuals at risk for impaired vocational performance, this is an important consideration for public health.