Image via WikipediaHealth Update - Association Between Exposure to Traffic and Heart Disease (6 page pdf, Air Resources Board, California Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 24, 2005)
Today we review a briefing to the California Air Resources Board on the health risks faced by those who travel on or live near freeways. Results “provide evidence for an association between exposure to traffic and its pollutants and increased risk of heart attacks and heart disease risk factors, even in healthy, young adults”.
Key Quotes:
“increased death from heart and lung disease - Particle counts and black carbon increase by a factor of 30 near 405 and 710 freeways”
“There was a rapid decrease in concentration on the downwind side of the freeways to near background levels within about 500 feet”
“for a typical commuter, the in-vehicle exposure to traffic-related pollutants while travelling on freeways can represent more than 50% of their daily exposure to ultrafine PM”
“German investigators focused on residents of Augsburg, a city of about 280,000 residents located near Munich, who experienced nonlethal heart attacks over a two-year period- The risk was greatest – a threefold increase – when traffic exposure occurred one hour before the heart attack”
“Nine healthy North Carolina State Troopers were monitored using real-time electrocardiographs. The volunteers were males ages 23 to 30, non-smokers, and had shifts from 3 pm to midnight- In-vehicle PM2.5 levels were associated with significant changes in markers of inflammation, blood coagulation, and cardiac rhythm, which are possible indicators for increased risk of heart disease”
Related articles
- Fine particle health risks calculated for roughly city size areas in California (nextbigfuture.com)
- Asthma and Heart Disease - Exploring the Link (everydayhealth.com)
- Neighbourhood-Scale Air Pollution Exposure, Walkability and Heart Disease (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- Health Risks with Cycling near Traffic (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- The Health Impact of Emissions from Light Traffic (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- EPA Statement on Health Impacts from Roadside NO2 Emissions (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
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