People who are exposed to air pollution even for a few days are more likely to have a heart attack compared with counterparts breathing fresh air.
Scientists have known for a long time that those who live in highly polluted cities are at a greater risk of different health conditions such as heart attacks, stroke and even diabetes but a new European analysis warned that just a few days of exposure to air pollution may raise the cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Hazrije Mustafic and her team in the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center reviewed 34 previous investigations that linked heart attack and different industrial and traffic-related air pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and very small soot-like particles.
The disturbing findings revealed that all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, were associated with a slight increase in heart attack risk.
For each short-term 10 mcg/m3 increase of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and so-called PM10 and PM2.5 particulates, the risk of heart attack rose by 1 to 2.5 percent, scientists wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA).
The association was stronger for carbon monoxide, with each 1 mg/m3 increase of its level tied to a 4.8 higher risk of experiencing a heart attack.
The study suggests that short term exposure to air pollution may lead to heart conditions such as triggering inflammatory reactions, increasing blood clot risk and heart rate.
Health experts emphasize that while the estimated risk is very low for an individual level, it may lead to a significant high number of heart attacks if considered in the public level which includes billions of people across the globe.
——Agencies