Growing evidence on air pollution and heart disease

Growing evidence on air pollution and heart disease

 

The American Heart Association released an update of its scientific statement on air pollution and cardiovascular disease.

The evidence on air pollution’s link to heart disease and death is growing, according to the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement, “ Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease,” which was published on Monday, 10 May 2010 to update the original statement made in 2004. The update has been published in the AHA’s journal, Circulation. Fossil fuel combustion from industry, traffic, and power generation are the major sources of the fine particulate matter found in outdoor pollution. In some regions, biomass burning, heating, cooking, and forest fires can also be important sources.

Danger: fine particulate matter
Sidney C. Smith, Jr, MD, President Elect of the World Heart Federation and one of the statement’s authors,  describes  the  findings of the writing group:  “the overall evidence is consistent with a causal relationship between  fine particulate matter from air pollution  and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It appears that within hours to days of increased exposure, air pollution can trigger cardiovascular events in those who are at risk, even if they appear healthy.  It can trigger cardiovascular-related deaths, and non fatal events including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and irregular heartbeats.” 

No safe exposure
"These studies indicate that like with indoor air pollution from tobacco smoke, there is no safe exposure to air pollution", says Smith.  "Most studies support the idea that longer-term exposures  to fine particulate matter increase the risk for cardiovascular mortality even more than short-term exposures.   Available studies also suggest that reductions in fine particulate matter levels decrease cardiovascular mortality within a time frame as short as a few years. This is why the World Heart Federation strongly supports and encourages programmes to reduce exposure to  indoor  tobacco smoke and other dangerous forms of air pollution."

The  statement made the following recommendations:

• Physicians should emphasize treatment of other risk factors to minimize risks associated with exposure to air pollution
• Physicians should educate patients with cardiovascular disease about air pollution risks, and should consider educating those at high risk (with diabetes, obesity,
• Patients should avoid exposure to air pollution, decreasing time outside when air quality is bad, and spending less time in traffic.Limiting exposure and activity per recommendations
• National policy should reduce exposure to air pollution at the population level

Read  the Scientific statement news release >

More information on air pollution and the heart: www.heart.org/airpollution 

Link to the AHA statement: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIR.0b013e3181dbece1