Air pollution can harm the cardiovascular health of young people, researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital said yesterday as they presented their latest study.
The study — which involved 755 Taiwanese aged 21 years on average — revealed a link between exposure to airborne pollutants and the thickening of the carotid arteries’ inner walls, the research team told a news conference in Taipei.
This thickening of arterial walls is correlated with increased risk of heart attack later in life, said Su Ta-chen (蘇大成), director of the hospital’s oDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Medicine.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers carries many substances released by internal combustion engines, including zinc, copper, iron and sulfur, which could cause the thickening, he said.
Butadiene — another air pollutant common in cities — is a volatile organic compound that can thicken carotid walls, harden blood vessels, increase cholesterol levels and damage the DNA within cells, he said, adding that this substance is released by vehicle engines and tires.
“Our data — which show that air pollution is increasing health risks for young people — should be viewed as an alarm sign,” he said.
“Young people are like canaries in the coal mine” for the population at large, he added.
Environmental and health authorities should monitor butadiene levels as part of their efforts to rein in harmful pollution in cities, he said.
The research team in an earlier study found that urban air pollution is linked to indicators of poor respiratory health in Taiwanese adults, including inflammation metrics, coagulation factors and arrhythmia, he said.
Hon Hai Precision Industry founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) told the news conference that last year he developed light arrhythmia due to air pollution.
Taiwanese should hold local government heads responsible for air quality in their region in the local elections in November, Gou added.
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