New Research Shows That Air Pollution Is Causing Lots Of Deaths Due To Heart and Cardiovascular Issues
Source: Thailand Medical News Dec 17, 2019 4 years, 11 months, 1 week, 2 hours ago
A new research study shows that
Air pollution is associated with detrimental effects on human health, including increased risk of
heart disease and
stroke. Research published (December 15, 2019) in
The Journal of Physiology by researchers at The University of Manchester shows that the knowledge we have about how
air pollution harms the hearts of marine species can be applied to humans, as the underlying mechanisms are similar. In other words, knowledge gained from the marine ecosystem might help protect the climate and health of our planet, whilst also helping human health.
More than 11,000
coronary heart disease and
stroke deaths in the UK each year are attributable to
air pollution, specifically due to particulate matter (PM), or small particles in the air that cause health problems. PM2.5 is one of the finest and most dangerous type of PM, is a compound for which the UK has failed to meet EU limits. Hundreds of thousands more die similarly each year in countries like China, Taiwan, India etc due to
air pollution induced
cardiovascular and
heart issues.
Medical researchers of this study looked across all vertebrates and particularly focused on a set of compounds that binds to the surface of PM, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as the amount of PAH on PM is associated with the detrimental affect
air pollution has on the
heart.
Although
air pollution is known to be dangerous to humans, it actually only became a widely-researched topic in the past five years or so. In marine species, however, the mechanism of how PAH pollution causes heart problems is well understood.
Ecological studies after the 1999 Exxon Valdez oil spill showed that the ecosystem still has not recovered 20 years on. In 2010, research on fish after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which released large quantities of PAHs into the marine environment, showed that the
heart’s ability to contract was impaired.
Senior author on the study, Dr. Holly Shiels from The University of Manchester told
Thailand Medical News, “
Air Pollution affects all of us living on Planet Earth. Due to the conserved nature of
cardiac function amongst animals, fish exposed to PAH from oil spills can serve as indicators, providing significant insights into the human health impacts of PAHs and PM
air pollution.”
Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, which partly funded the research presented in this review, Dr. Jeremy Pearson, commented: “We know that
air pollution can have a hugely damaging effect on
heart and circulatory
health, and this review summarises mechanisms potentially contributing to impaired heart function. Reducing
air pollution is crucial to protecting our heart health
, which is why the BHF is calling on the next Government to commit to reducing
air pollution to within WHO limits.”
Reference: “Polyaromatic hydrocarbons in pollution: A heart‐breaking matter” by C. R. Marris, S. N. Kompella, M. R. Miller, J. P. Incardona, F. Brette, J. C. Hancox, E. Sørhus and H. A. Shiels, 15 December 2019, The Journal of Physiology.
DOI: 10.1113/JP278885 
