A recent study published in PLOS Medicine has linked long term exposure to air pollution to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries). A group of researchers led by Sara Adar, John Searle and Joel Kaufman have found that high concentrations of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is linked to quicker thickening of the two inner layers of the common carotid artery. This study was conducted on 5362 people from six U.S. metrapolitan areas, all with no known heart problems. Scientists studied these people every year for three years, and determined that the thickness of the carotid vessel increased by 14um each year. Those who were exposed to higher levels of residential fine particulate air pollution showed even faster thickening of vessels than of those who lived in the same area.
What does this tell us? People who are living in areas with higher fine particulate air pollution have a 2% higher risk of stroke than those who live in less polluted areas of the town. These findings can help scientists to explain the associations between long-term PM2.5 concentrations and clinical cardiovascular events.
This study, and hopefully follow up studies alike should lead individuals to support laws such as the clean air act, and other movements to lower the pollution levels in our environment. We are slowly killing many animals in our ecosystems due to our increased pollution and wasteful lifestyles, and now according to this most recent study, we are also potentially killing ourselves.
REFERENCES:
Public Library of Science (2013, April 23). Air pollution and hardening of arteries.ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 29, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423172706.htm
Adar SD, Sheppard L, Vedal S, Polak JF, Sampson PD, et al. Fine Particulate Air Pollution and the Progression of Carotid Intima-Medial Thickness: A Prospective Cohort Study from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution. PLoS Med, 2013 DOI:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001430
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