Originally published May 10 2005
Air pollution, secondhand smoke and other factors may increase risk of myocardial infarction
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Cardiovascular diseases, the most common causes of death in many Western European countries, may be caused by environmental factors, and air pollution most prominently. A thesis published by Karolinska Institutet investigated different environmental factors, such as air pollution and secondhand smoke, to determine their impact on cases of fatal myocardial infarction (MI). The thesis concludes that, though there environmental factors do influence fatal instances of MI, they have no discernable impact on instances on non-fatal MI. The study, conducted by Mats Rosenlund, also found that non-airborne forms of pollution like hard drinking water do not have a significant impact on MI.
Exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of fatal myocardial infarction (MI), particularly pollutants caused by motor traffic.
Known risk factors include age, gender, hereditariness, smoking, hypertension and high blood lipid levels.
However, the part played by the external environment still remains something of a mystery.
Exposure factors that are thought to compound the risk include passive smoking, air pollution, noise pollution and the chemical composition of drinking water.
The new thesis presents the results of Mats Rosenlund's research into environmental factors like aircraft noise, passive smoking, drinking water quality, and air pollution.
The study of the relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular disease suggests that a prolonged exposure to ambient air pollutants increases the risk of fatal MI, especially outside the hospital.
The relationship was particularly salient for airborne pollutants caused by motor traffic.
To obtain the necessary pollution data, each subject's home address was converted to geographical coordinates, which were then cross-referenced with data on all known sources of pollutant emission since 1960.
According to the results of the study of the hardness of the drinking water, there is no evidence that the hardness of the water or its magnesium or calcium content has any effect on the risk of MI.
The thesis also included previously published studies that suggest that a correlation exists between hypertension and aircraft noise, the latter calculated as either "aircraft noise levels" over 55 dBA or as maximum aircraft noise peaks of over 72 dBA.
Studies were also conducted that corroborate previous claims that passive smoking increases the risk of MI.
The results suggest that combined exposure at home and at work and the aggregate exposure during adulthood contribute significantly to the risk of MI.
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