Fine particle pollution linked to cardiovascular disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.334.7588.283-a

BMJ 2007;334:283 (10 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.334.7588.283-a

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Fine particle pollution linked to cardiovascular disease

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As well as being linked to lung function, particulatepollution is associated with cardiovascular disease, particularlyin women. An analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative,a mammoth cohort study of postmenopausal women in the UnitedStates, recently found that each 10 µg/m³ increase inconcentration of fine particle pollution increased women's riskof a first cardiovascular event by 24% (hazard ratio 1.24 (95%CI 1.09 to 1.41)) and their risk of death from cardiovasculardisease by 76% (1.76 (1.25 to 2.47)). The events included strokes,heart attacks, and coronary and cerebrovascular deaths. Allwere linked to long term exposure to fine particles <2.5µm across, but not to other environmental pollutants suchas sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone.These figures are the most reliable so far, says an editorial(pp 511-3), and the most convincing.

The analysis included 65 893 women living incities all over the US. None had cardiovascular disease at thestart of the study. Nearly 2000 had had a cardiovascular eventby the end of the study four years later. The clear associationbetween fine particle pollution (measured from the nearest monitor)and cardiovascular disease was unexplained by poverty, educationallevel, smoking, or any of the conventional risk factors. Itnow seems likely that this kind of pollution can cause widespreaddamage to arteries. We don't know how.