Air pollution causes cardiovascular diseases
New Delhi : A recent study claims that the fine dust particles in the air and polluted air are the prime cause for millions of death each year. And, almost 60 percents of deaths occur due to cardiovascular diseases. A study conducted by Professor Thomas Münzel, Director of Cardiology I at the Department of Cardiology at the Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), and team of scientists from UK and USA studied the mechanisms responsible for vascular damage from air pollution.
The study and its findings have been published in the journal of European Heart. The research focused on components like ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulpur dioxide that are particularly damaging to the cardiovascular system and mechanisms that damage the vessels.
"This report in the latest issue of the European Heart Journal is another important contribution from our Working Group on Environment and Cardiovascular Disease. In summary, it can be said that in relation to the vascular damaging effect of air pollution, particulate matter plays a prominent role," commented Professor Thomas Münzel. "We are especially worried about ultrafine dust. These particles have the size of a virus. When ultrafine matter is inhaled, it immediately enters the bloodstream through the lungs, is taken up by the vessels, and causes local inflammation. Ultimately, this causes more atherosclerosis (vascular calcification) and thus leads to more cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. Of particular interest is the fact that with regard to the much-discussed diesel exhaust emissions, particulate matter and not nitrogen dioxide (NO2), both of which are produced by burning diesel fuel, have a negative effect on vascular function," Münzel continued.
Professor Jos Lelieveld from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Mainz said, ""The fine dust particles are chemically formed mainly in the atmosphere from emissions from traffic, industry, and agriculture. In order to achieve low, harmless concentrations, emissions from all these sources need to be reduced".
For now, experts are planning to investigate the cause of cardiovascular disease caused by air pollution in connection to noise.
