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Close on the heels of the UN report implicating human activity as probable cause of global warming phenomenon, comes the research that focuses on environment and heart health. A recent research study performed by researchers from the University of Washington in the United States revealed increased risk of heart attacks in women exposed to polluted air.
A large research project called the Women’s Health Initiative in USA has analysed several health concerns in women including heart health. When researchers at the University of Washington analysed the impact of air pollution, a surprising trend of increased risk for heart attacks and risk of death from heart disease was detected. This was particularly true in women of older age. Even small increases in the air level of pollutant particles above the safety values resulted in a 75 per cent increase in risk for heart attacks and other heart disease.
It has long been known that particulates in the breathing air can contribute to lung and heart disease, with women perhaps more susceptible than men to heart problems, perhaps because of their smaller blood vessels and other biological differences. This research has once again highlighted the critical link between health and environment – a fact that is ignored amongst the problems of everyday life.
The risk of heart attacks and fatal heart diseases were different even among women living in the same city, with increased risk in women living in the more polluted parts of the city. The suspended particles are thought to reach deep into the lungs to produce inflammation that leads to heart attack and stroke.
The air that we breathe is contaminated with a lot of gritty substances that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. This is given the name ‘Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter’ or RSPM. The particles are so tiny that it would take 30 such particles to equal the thickness of a human hair. The particles, made of dust, soot and various chemicals, come from burning fuel in cars, factories and power plants. While individual particles are too small to see, they can be observed collectively as urban haze.
The Environmental Protection Agency in USA sets and monitors the air pollution index in various cities of USA. Not to be outdone, the Ministry of Environment in India tracks the RSPM in the various major cities of the country. Among the major cities in India, Mumbai has some of the worst air quality indices from RSPM standpoint. Chennai has better air quality compared to other major cities at the present time. The effect of burgeoning economic activity in cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore will lead to increase in automobile exhaust gases and industrial fumes. Planned development of these and other Indian cities will reduce the magnitude of the air pollution problem that seems to plague many large cities around the world.
The new evidence points to the fact that congestion in the hearts of the cities may actually damage the hearts of the people breathing the air in such communities. Awareness about this issue, among other salient benefits of clean air, will help prevent a significant air pollution problem in our
neighbourhoods.
Keep the air clean and keep your heart healthy.
Dr G Balachander
Cardiologist
Illinois, USA
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