Thursday, February 24, 2011

Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks

Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks, says studyResearch into 'final straw' risk factors says traffic fumes greater population-wide threat than drug because of numbers exposed

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 February 2011 18.37

Air pollution is a bigger trigger of heart attacks in the population than physical exertion, alcohol and taking cocaine, a study has shown. On an individual basis, cocaine raises the risk of a heart attack 23 times, says a study published in the Lancet.

But far more people are exposed to traffic fumes and factory emissions than cocaine so air quality is a far more important population-wide threat.

Scientists looked at "final straw" risk factors for triggering heart attacks, rather than underlying causes of heart disease. The highest risk factor was traffic exposure (7.4%), followed by physical exertion (6.2%) and alcohol (5%), coffee (5%), and higher levels of small air pollutant particles known as PM10s (4.8%).

Other risk factors included negative emotions, with a PAF of 3.9%, anger (3.1%), eating a heavy meal (2.7%), positive emotions (2.4%) and sexual activity (2.2%).

Air pollution triggers 5-7% of heart attacks in the population, they say. Cocaine accounts for just 0.9% of all heart attacks.

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