A 2016 study showed that exposure to urban pollution involving magnetite particles played a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. It began from the hypothesis that magnetite particles would generate chemical reactions that could cause oxidative stress for neurons. CNRS researchers have now called this connection into question, showing that it is very unlikely that magnetite is involved in neuron degeneration. Their work was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on October 11, 2018.