The concerns over the depleting air quality in major cities around the globe have come to the forefront in the past few years. In India, highly dangerous air quality levels have been reported around the country, but it is the situation in big cities like Mumbai and Delhi that is more alarming. Residents of low-income areas may particularly suffer the effects of living in an area with high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air on their cardiovascular systems.
A recent research that was published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that those who have long-term exposure to high levels of particulate matter, or PM2.5, had a minimum 16 per cent increased risk of dying from coronary heart disease and a 10 per cent higher chance of experiencing heart attacks. PM2.5, or tiny particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, is mostly released by moving vehicles, smokestacks, building construction, and other human- activities that lead to air pollution.
The study’s lead author, research scientist and biostatistician Stacey E. Alexeeff of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, said, “We found that people exposed to fine particulate air pollution have an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease — even when those exposure levels are at or below our current U.S. air quality standards.”
According to the study, adults exposed to air pollution at moderate concentrations of 10.0 to 11.9 micrograms per cubic metre had a 6 per cent higher risk of having a heart attack and a 7 per cent higher risk of dying from heart disease than adults exposed to air pollution at low concentrations of less than 8.0 micrograms per cubic metre.
The researchers used data from 3.7 million persons who lived in California and were Kaiser Permanente members between 2007 and 2016. To establish a robust correlation between long-term PM2.5 exposure and cardiovascular illnesses and death, the researchers followed up with the individuals for nearly ten years.
The participants’ addresses were geocoded to a particular geographical location in order to annually gather information on that location’s air pollution or PM2.5 exposure levels. The researchers then kept tabs on which people had heart attacks or died from other heart conditions.
According to co-author of the research Stephen Van Den Eeden, the socioeconomic standing of the neighbourhoods was associated with exposure to pollution and the risk of cardiovascular disease.”The strongest association between exposure to air pollution and risk of cardiovascular events in our study was seen in people who live in low socioeconomic areas, where there is often more industry, busier streets, and more highways,” he added.
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