A new study has found that air pollution is linked to an increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, which is a risk factor for stroke, and blood clots in the lung. However, the research suggests that the direct impact of air pollution on the risk of heart attack and stroke is rather less clear.
Current evidence suggests that high levels of certain air pollutants are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular problems, but it is not clear why this is. The new research therefore set out to explore the short term biological impact of air pollution on cardiovascular disease, using data from three national collections in England and Wales for the period 2003-9.
These were the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP), which tracks hospital admissions for heart attack/stroke; hospital episode statistics (HES) on emergency admissions; and figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on recorded deaths.
Some 400,000 heart attacks recorded in MINAP; more than 2 million emergency admissions for cardiovascular problems; and 600,000 deaths from a heart attack/stroke were linked to average levels of air pollutants over a period of 5 days using data from the monitoring station nearest to the place of residence.
Air pollutants included carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), sulphur dioxide, and ozone. Information on ambient daily temperatures, recorded by the UK Meteorological Office, was also factored in.
No clear link with any air pollutant was found for cardiovascular deaths, with the exception of PM2.5 which was linked to an increased risk of irregular heart rhythms, irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). Only nitrogen dioxide was linked to an increased risk of a hospital admission for cardiovascular problems, including heart failure, in the MINAP data.
The findings prompt the researchers to conclude that there is no clear evidence to link short term exposure to air pollution with an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. However, there does seem to be a clear link between particulate matter levels and heightened risk of atrial fibrillation and pulmonary embolism.
The results of the study are published online in the journal Heart.
