Pollution can harm the heart

Posted 15/05/2012

An American study based on medical tests on volunteers living in Beijing demonstrated immediate improvements in blood pressure and other blood markers linked to clotting and inflammation during the period of the 2008 Olympic games when China temporarily reduced pollution by closing factories and reducing the numbers of cars on the road. The International Olympic Committee had warned that if the high levels of pollution were not addressed some of the Olympic events might have to be cancelled.The researchers from the University of Southern California took blood samples from healthy volunteers before, during and after the games, thus covering times when pollution was running at its usual high level, as well as during the games when it had been lowered. They demonstrated immediate health benefits in the markers linked directly to risk factors for heart disease during the time when pollution was lowered although they have stressed that they have not been able to yet demonstrate what the long term consequences might be.The British Heart Foundation has said that even though this was a small study and more research is clearly needed, nonetheless this has shown a clear link between high levels of air pollution and an increased likelihood of blood clotting which could lead to a heart attack.Trefine Maynard, a solicitor with the medical injury team at Ashtons Legal, adds: “Heart disease is a major cause of death in the UK and identifying the risk factors and even more importantly showing how these might be avoided, is another welcome step in investigating the causes. We see too many families who have been devastated by the loss of a close family member as a result of heart disease. In the cases we deal with, this is often a death that it is thought might have been avoided with different medical treatment. It goes without saying that it would be far better to avoid heart disease in the first place and every step in understanding the causes of this is to be welcomed”.