Air pollution is associated with damage to the cardiovascular system. Inflammation particularly affects young adults.
These particles are invisible to the naked eye, but they circulate freely in the polluted air of cities. In normal times, nothing testifies to their presence except an opaque film during pollution peaks. And yet, the threat hangs over city dwellers. Fine particles are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. A worrying finding which also concerns young and healthy people. This is what Brigham Young University (United States) concludes in Circulation Research.
Suffering vessels
Vehicles rub shoulders with smokers on the sidewalk. When they get home, they sometimes heat themselves with wood, or use electricity from thermal power stations. They use products made in factories. Five players and as many sources of pollution. Because these elements share one thing in common: they emit fine particles (PM 2.5). These pollutants are known to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people at risk. One in ten deaths from stroke is linked to air pollution.
But this is the first time that a study has suggested healthy city dwellers are also at risk. To reach this conclusion, the team followed 72 adults with an average age of 23. The volunteers delivered blood samples every winter for three years. They allowed researchers to track down several witnesses to the suffering of blood vessels, pro-inflammatory cytokines for example.
47 million French people exposed
The markers measured reflect actual damage inflicted on arteries, veins and other capillaries. Endothelial microparticles are on the rise, as are the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, the growth factors that promote the proper development of blood vessels drop suddenly. “These results suggest that living in a polluted environment can promote the development of arterial hypertension and stroke in a more generalized manner and at an earlier stage than previously thought”, underlines Aruni Bhatnagar, co-author of the ‘study.
This would explain the recent findings issued by several official bodies. The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed 11,000 deaths of respiratory or cardiac origin to pollution… for France alone. But the effects can be more insidious. A model published in the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH) recently highlighted that 47 million French people are exposed to thresholds higher than those recommended. A background pollution that reduces the life expectancy of city dwellers by fifteen months. Arden Pope, co-author of the study, himself admits: “This exposure is associated with a cascade of adverse effects. Most still call for clarification.
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