You are in > manchester.com  > News > Heart warning over Beijing smog

Health

Heart warning over Beijing smog

14/08/2008

Concerns over the impact of Beijing's air pollution upon Olympics athletes may have been understated, researchers have warned.

A new study says high levels of pollution could cause fatal damage to people's hearts and blood vessels.

Previous worries had focused on respiratory problems caused by smog.

But new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) shows pollution has short and long-term toxic effects that injure heart and blood vessels.

Robert Kloner, professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, said: "We used to think air pollution was a problem that primarily affects the lungs. We now know it is also bad for the heart."

Athletes in Beijing could inhale pollutants that trigger reactive oxygen species - oxidising molecules that damage cells, cause inflammation in the lungs and spark the cascade of harmful effects in the heart and cardiovascular system.

Recent research suggests that ultra-fine air pollutants, such as those coming from car exhausts, may pass into the bloodstream and damage the heart and blood vessels directly.

Hearts directly exposed to ultra-fine air pollutants show an immediate decrease in coronary blood flow and the heart's pumping function, as well as a tendency to develop arrhythmias, according to studies conducted at the California-based Heart Institute.

Boris Simkhovich, senior research associate at the Heart Institute, added: "There doesn't have to be an environmental catastrophe for air pollution to cause injury.

"We're talking about very modest increases. Air pollution can be dangerous at levels that are within the accepted air quality standards."

The report's authors advise against all outdoor exercise by cardiovascular patients during times of high pollution.