| Growing air pollution hurting heart health |
|
There are about 6,000 additional deaths in Canada annually because of short-term exposure to air pollution alone, said the report, and 69 per cent of those deaths result from cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke. "It's an important and emerging risk factor," Toronto cardiologist Beth Abramson told a news conference to release the report, which also graded provinces on their air quality. "We still need to pay attention to the traditional risk factors for heart disease - high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, being overweight, being out of shape (and) high cholesterol - but this is an additional risk factor that we can actually influence and influence the risk for others as a community," she said. Length of exposure to air-borne pollutants is a critical factor in cardiovascular disease risk: research suggests that every 10-unit increase in long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can increase the risk of dying from heart disease and stroke by up to 76 per cent. Short-term exposure also can be dangerous: one study showed that a day-to-day increase from even relatively low levels of particulate matter can boost risk of a heart attack within 24 hours by 69 per cent. Yet, Environment Canada estimates that almost a third of Canadians are being exposed to higher than the 30 units (expressed as milligrams per cubic metre) of fine particulate matter deemed an acceptable level, and which Canada is hoping to achieve by 2010. "Local air pollution can be derived from many different sources, including factories, cars, diesel trucks, power plants, wind-blown dust and smoke from wood stoves and back-yard burning," Abramson noted. And poor air quality isn't a phenomenon restricted to large cities with pollution-spewing vehicles and industrial sites, she said. Residents in rural areas that might seem environmentally more pristine are also bearing the brunt of bad air. "Air pollution can also be exported across long distances, as much as 800 kilometres for PM2.5." The Heart and Stroke Foundation is calling on the federal and provincial governments to implement a number of measures, including legislating stricter pollution standards and expanding the daily Air Quality Health Index to communities across the country so at-risk Canadians can limit outdoor activities on high pollution days. Abramson said some people are more vulnerable to air-borne pollutants than others, in particular the elderly and those already at risk for cardiovascular disease like diabetics, and she advised that people moderate their outdoor activities when pollution is high. "Unfortunately, people who are trying to lead a heart-healthy life by being physically active actually are exposing themselves to more risk on bad air days ... if they go outside to exercise." Stephen Samis, director of health policy for the foundation, said a survey the organization commissioned of more than 1,100 Canadian adults showed that six in 10 believe air quality in their community is generally good to excellent, but just three per cent knew air pollution is a year-round problem. |
Air pollution is a rising and pervasive threat to cardiovascular
health, but most Canadians don't realize the danger, says the Heart and
Stroke Foundation of Canada. In its annual report on Canadians'
health, the foundation said short-and long-term
exposure to year-round air pollution is contributing to thousands of
deaths across the country each year.
