Air pollution causes heart disease, the American Heart Association said. While pollution does not cause as many heart attacks as high blood pressure, for example, it is a serious risk factor, the group said in a statement.
This is a serious public health problem due to the enormous number of people affected and because exposure to air pollution occurs over an entire lifetime.
Dr. Robert Brook of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reported that particulate matter pollution — soot — is especially dangerous, and secondhand smoke causes heart disease.
“A recent report from the American Cancer Society study cohort found that long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution at levels that occur in North America increased the risk for cardiovascular mortality,” Brook said.
Traffic is one of the worst sources, they found. An eight-year study of 5,000 adults showed people who lived near a major road were more likely to die of a cardiovascular problem.
These conclusions will provide further support to the importance of the present-day air quality standards.