Long term exposure to air pollution linked to coronary events

Association persists at levels of exposure below current European limits

2014-01-22

(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 . . .

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:

Bipartisan members of congress relaunch Congressional Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Caucus with event that brings together lawmakers, medical experts, and patient advocates to address critical gap i

International research team solves mystery behind rare clotting after adenoviral vaccines or natural adenovirus infection

Seabird poop could have been used to fertilize Peru's Chincha Valley by at least 1250 CE, potentially facilitating the expansion of its pre-Inca society