Air Pollution May Cause Blood Vessel Damage: Study

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Oct, 2016 ) : Exposure to fine particulate matter may cause blood vessel damage and inflammation among young, healthy adults, according to scientists, who have found how air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease and related deaths.

For the study, researchers studied the component of air pollution known as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) - the tiny pieces of solid or liquid pollution emitted from motor vehicles, factories, power plants, fires and smoking.

They found that periodic exposure to fine particulate matter was associated with several abnormal changes in the blood that are markers for cardiovascular disease. As air pollution rose, they found small, micro-particles indicating cell injury and death significantly increased in number; levels of proteins that inhibit blood vessel growth increased; and proteins that signify blood-vessel inflammation also showed significant increased, said the study published in the journal Circulation Research.

.

"These results substantially expand our understanding about how air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease by showing that exposure is associated with a cascade of adverse effects," said study lead author C Arden Pope professor at Brigham Young University in the US.

Study participants included 72 healthy, non-smoking, adults. Their average age was 23, most were white, and more than half were male. During the winters of 2013, 2014, and 2015, participants provided blood samples, which researchers then tested for markers of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers were able to evaluate these informative blood markers with various levels of air pollution. However, they noted that the third study year, 2015, was relatively unpolluted, which could have affected the results