Emerging science reveals how everyday exposures, from wildfire smoke to household pollution, speed up aging at the cellular level.
Farmworker Rajendra Kamble and his wife Sunita work in fields constantly exposed to pollution from nearby factories.
I am 55 now, but I feel much older
After more than a decade of inhaling smoke in Jambhali village of Western India, his health got much worse. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) seven years ago, followed by hyperthyroidism two years later.
Doctors and community healthcare workers told him that constant exposure to polluted air was not only harming his health but also making him age faster.
Author summary: Air pollution accelerates aging.