Poor air quality linked to death

Scientists have found substantial evidence to link air pollution to serious health conditions including death, a report has revealed.

A statement from the American Heart Association said that poor air quality could lead to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death.

Lead author of the statement Robert Brook said: "Particulate matter appears to directly increase risk by triggering events in susceptible individuals within hours to days of an increased level of exposure, even among those who otherwise may have been healthy for years."

Evidence set out in the report showed that fine matter PM2.5, found in traffic and power generation, had a causal relationship with cardiovascular disease.

Mr Brook also showed evidence that air pollution had a moderate link with heart failure, a strong relationship with heart disease and a small association with premature deaths.

The elderly and people with existing heart disease are most at risk and the report advised them to control other risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes and smoking.

According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulatory diseases cause 200,000 deaths each year, amounting to more than one in three of all deaths in the UK.

Posted by Joseph Hutton