From low-income countries to high-income countries, long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and death, a new Oregon State University study found.
From low-income countries to high-income countries, long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and death, a new Oregon State University study found.
But even small reductions in air pollution levels can result in a reduction of disease risk.
The study shows that countries don’t have to immediately eradicate all air pollution to make a difference for people’s health, said researcher Perry Hystad, an environmental epidemiologist in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences. Hystad was the lead author on the international study, which also included fellow OSU public health researcher Andrew Larkin. Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia was the senior author.
“If you reduce the concentration of outdoor air pollution, you’re going to see benefits for cardiovascular disease,” Hystad said. “Before this study, we were not sure if this was the case. Some studies suggested that at high concentration, as seen in many developing countries, levels would have to be reduced by very large amounts before health benefits would occur.”
Read more at Oregon State University
Image: Researcher Perry Hystad at his desk. CREDIT: Oregon State University
