(Press-News.org) Contact information: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Long term exposure to air pollution linked to coronary events
Association persists at levels of exposure below current European limits
Long term exposure to particulate matter in outdoor air is strongly linked to heart attacks and angina, and this association persists at levels of exposure below the current European limits, suggests research conducted at the Department of Epidemiology in Rome, Italy and published on bmj.com today.
The results support lowering of the EU limits for particulate matter air pollution.
Ambient particulate matter air pollution is estimated to cause 3.2 million deaths worldwide per year, but the association between long term exposure to air pollution and incidence of coronary events remains controversial.
In the European Union the current annual limit for particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres (μm) or less (known as PM2.5) is 25 µg/m3, which is far above that implemented in the United States (12 µg/m3). And a 2013 BMJ study found average PM2.5 concentrations over a five year period in Beijing was more than 10 times the World Health Organization air quality guideline value of 10 µg/m3.
So an international team of researchers, coordinated by the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, set out to study the effect of long term exposure to airborne pollutants on acute coronary events (heart attack and unstable angina) in 11 cohorts participating in the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE).
The study involved over 100,000 people with no history of heart disease enrolled from 1997 to 2007 and followed for an average of 11.5 years.
Mathematical models were used to estimate concentrations of air pollution from particulate matter at each participant's residential address. A total of 5,157 participants experienced coronary events during the follow-up period.
After taking account of several other risk factors, including other illness, smoking, and socioeconomic factors, the researchers found that a 5 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5particulate matter was associated with a 13% increased risk of coronary events and a 10μg/m3 increase in PM10 particulate matter was associated with a 12% increased risk of coronary events.
Positive associations were detected below the current annual European limit of 25 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and below 40 μg/m3 for PM10 and positive but non-significant associations were found with other pollutants.
Further analyses did not alter the results significantly.
"Our study suggests an association between long term exposure to particulate matter and incidence of coronary events," say the authors.
They point out that these associations remained for exposure concentrations below the current European limits, and suggest that the burden of disease attributable to outdoor particulate matter "might be underestimated if only estimates of mortality are considered."
The results of this study, together with other ESCAPE findings, "support lowering of European limits for particulate air pollution to adequately protect public health," they conclude.
This study "has specific relevance to the management of air quality in Europe," say Professors Michael Brauer and John Mancini from the University of British Columbia, in an accompanying editorial.
They also refer to the 2013 BMJ Beijing study and say: "The important impact of air pollution on cardiovascular disease highlighted by these two papers supports efforts to meet existing and even more stringent air quality standards to minimise cardiovascular morbidity and mortality."
###
Research: Long term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of acute coronary events: prospective cohort study and meta-analysis in 11 European cohorts from the ESCAPE Project
Editorial: Where there's smoke . . .
Long term exposure to air pollution linked to coronary events
Association persists at levels of exposure below current European limits
2014-01-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Losing a family member in childhood associated with psychotic illness
2014-01-22
Losing a family member in childhood associated with psychotic illness
Highest risk seen in children who experience suicide in close family members
Experiencing a family death in childhood is associated with a small but significant increase in risk of psychosis, ...
Fast eye movements: A possible indicator of more impulsive decision-making
2014-01-22
Fast eye movements: A possible indicator of more impulsive decision-making
Using a simple study of eye movements, Johns Hopkins scientists report evidence that people who are less patient tend to move their eyes with greater speed. The findings, the researchers say, ...
Most high-risk cardiac devices in use today approved as modifications to previously-approved devices
2014-01-22
Most high-risk cardiac devices in use today approved as modifications to previously-approved devices
Device 'supplement' applications are generally not accompanied by new clinical testing, with implications for patient safety
Boston – The Food and Drug Administration ...
New sequencing tools give up close look at yeast evolution
2014-01-22
New sequencing tools give up close look at yeast evolution
Highlights in this week's Molecular Biology and Evolution
The baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been associated with human activities for thousands of ...
All FDA drug approvals not created equal
2014-01-22
All FDA drug approvals not created equal
Many patients and physicians assume that the safety and effectiveness of newly approved drugs is well understood by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) —but a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine shows ...
Hedges and edges help pigeons learn their way around
2014-01-22
Hedges and edges help pigeons learn their way around
A study has found that homing pigeons' ability to remember routes depends on the complexity of the landscape below, with hedges and boundaries between urban and rural areas ...
Large amounts of folic acid shown to promote growth of breast cancer in rats
2014-01-22
Large amounts of folic acid shown to promote growth of breast cancer in rats
Role of folate in development, progression of breast cancer highly controversial
TORONTO, Jan. 21, 2014---Folic acid supplements at levels consumed by breast cancer patients and survivors ...
Cochrane Review of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine
2014-01-22
Cochrane Review of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine
Cochrane review of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for treating uncomplicated malaria
'Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is more effective than artemether-lumefantrine, and has fewer side effects than artesunate-mefloquine' ...
Researchers identify innate channel that protects against pain
2014-01-22
Researchers identify innate channel that protects against pain
Scientists have identified a channel present in many pain detecting sensory neurons that acts as a 'brake', limiting spontaneous pain. It is hoped that the new research, published today ...
Study: Electric drive vehicles have little impact on US pollutant emissions
2014-01-22
Study: Electric drive vehicles have little impact on US pollutant emissions
A new study from North Carolina State University indicates that even a sharp increase in the use of electric drive passenger vehicles (EDVs) by 2050 would not significantly reduce ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?
New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair
Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network
iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis
New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey
QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power
Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health
Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world
Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on
A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice
ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle
Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air
GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients
Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds
Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity
Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests
Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows
Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer
SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events
Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design
New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients
Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?
Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain
Decoding plants’ language of light
UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC
New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury
New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows
Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?
1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5
[Press-News.org] Long term exposure to air pollution linked to coronary eventsAssociation persists at levels of exposure below current European limits