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Air pollution detrimental to cardiovascular system

A recent report has added to the body of evidence that air pollution damages health. The report suggests that ozone and sulfates in the air can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, or cardiovascular inflammation.

Such pollution has already become the new silent threat to people's cardiovascular health, playing the role of an "invisible killer" that people in polluted cities are subjected to day after day, the report said.

The report, titled Urban Air Pollution on Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Coagulation and Autonomic Dysfunction, was prepared by a medical research team at the Graduate Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene at National Taiwan University.

The report will soon be published in the authoritative American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), a professor at the institute and the leader of the research team, said the purpose of the research was to "investigate whether biological mechanisms linking air pollution to cardiovascular events occurred concurrently in human subjects exposed to urban air pollutants."

The study showed that air pollution is detrimental not only to the lungs but also to the heart and blood vessels.

Since people are all susceptible regardless of their personal health, the results highlight the cost of air pollution.

The team recruited "a panel of 76 young and healthy students from a university in Taipei." Three measurements were made in each participant between April 2004 and June 2005.

Particles and gaseous air pollutants were measured at an air-monitoring station on their campus and at another monitoring station 1km from the campus.

The measurements were complemented by pollutant meters worn by the students.

The study found that oxidative stress, coagulation indices and the coagulation factor all increased in direct proportion to the density of sulfates in the air. When the average density of ozone increases, coagulation indices also go up.

The study also found that heart rate variability decreased as sulfates and ozone increased.

Team member Su Ta-chen (蘇大成) said that, among common urban air pollutants, both sulfates and ozone affect the heart and blood vessels the most, showing that air pollution can cause thromboses in blood vessels, along with some other problems.

Many factors can damage one's cardiovascular system, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.

The report serves as strong evidence that air pollution can also damage one's cardiovascular system.
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