Exposure to Air Pollution and Heart Attacks

Image via WikipediaSupraventricular Arrhythmia Following Exposure to Concentrated Ambient Air Pollution Particles (14 page pdf, Andrew J. Ghio, Maryann Bassett, Tracey Montilla, Eugene H. Chung, Wayne E. Cascio, Martha Sue Carraway, Environmental Health Perspectives, Sep. 6, 2011)

The focus today is on the reaction of a middle aged woman’s heart to air pollution particles and an analysis of the likely factors to explain that reaction. The results support a causal link between the particles and the impact on her heart.



The volunteer’s electrocardiogram (12 lead and rhythm strip) before (A) and immediately following (B) exposure to concentrated ambient particles. The electrocardiogram before the exposure (A) reveals a regular sinus rhythm with defined P waves (arrows) while that following the exposure (B) is irregular with “flutter” waves (arrows).

Key Quotes:

“a 58 year old woman.. in a controlled exposure to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs). Twenty minutes into the exposure, telemetry revealed new onset of atrial fibrillation. The exposure was discontinued and she reverted to normal sinus rhythm approximately two hours later”

“While coincident atrial fibrillation cannot be excluded, the onset of her arrhythmia was associated with her exposure to ambient air pollution particles. The correlation between the resolution of the arrhythmia and the termination of the CAPs exposure further supports a causal relationship between the two”

“The specific association between increased arrhythmia induction and air pollution may reflect oxidant generation and inflammation following exposure, consistent with mechanisms involved in the initiation and maintenance of some other forms of atrial fibrillation”

“In an animal model, diesel exhaust increased the sensitivity of the heart to triggered arrhythmias via an activation of airway sensory receptors (e.g. TRPA1) (Hazari et al. 2011). It has been suggested that this leads to autonomic imbalance and a predisposition for arrhythmia development”

“this is the only case report of an individual suffering an episode of atrial fibrillation following exposure to an air pollutant. The resolution of the arrhythmia with termination of the particle exposure further supports a causal relationship between the two”

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