Air pollution below EPA thresholds still poses heart health risks
· News-MedicalAir pollution does not have to exceed federal limits to potentially harm human health, according to a new review published in Environmental Pollution.
If we were looking to make a regulation that was just focused on human health, our reviews suggest that the regulation should be lowered because we are seeing cardiovascular impacts."In the United States, having regulations in place through the EPA allows us to track areas of nonattainment, or when the (air pollution) concentrations are above regulations. If we can identify that (an area) is above regulation, then we have the power to do something about it.
The researchers reviewed 95 studies from around the world on the impact of low-level PM2.5 exposure on cardiovascular health. Some 67% of the studies showed significant associations with heart disease.
Certain populations – such as older adults, very young children, people with preexisting heart conditions, impoverished individuals and marginalized populations – were particularly vulnerable to low-level exposure.
"The risk is also dependent upon the source of PM2.5," said James Stewart, associate professor of pharmacology. "Whether it's traffic pollution or manufacturing industrial pollution, or even rural pollution, where you have harvesting or plowing generating dust, that can impact human health on so many levels.
"We, the public, don't recognize how detrimental it can be."
"While this article was looking only at cardiovascular effects, it doesn't just stop there," Stewart said. "Once it gets into the circulatory system, it can impact other organs like the liver, pancreas, kidneys or any (organ) that deals with blood, and blood goes everywhere.
"In Mississippi it's very relevant because we have rural and industrial and urban pollutants. If individuals have an underlying condition, then it can make that condition worse."
For people in vulnerable populations, Roper and Stewart advise considering certain precautions.
"What I would suggest to someone who is concerned is to look at some of the existing resources for air quality and be mindful of how that changes in your area," Roper said. "On days that the air quality is poor, limit your time outdoors or take precautions like home air filtration or wearing a mask on particularly bad days."
"Public awareness is the next step," Stewart said. "We need to increase education and general public awareness around this problem. Health care workers should be paying attention to fluxes in pollution to better address health needs of patients.
"The question is not just, 'How can we treat exposure?' but 'How can we prevent it?' That starts with public awareness."
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