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Workplace Air Pollution
Can Injure Hearts
DALLAS, Texas, August 28, 2001 (ENS) -- Exposure to
occupational and environmental air pollutants can alter heart rates in
young, otherwise healthy hearts, researchers report in this week's issue of
the Journal of the American Heart Association. These altered
heart rates may play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease,
the researchers said.
Past studies have linked exposure to air pollution to
cardiac death in the elderly. This study is the first to examine
exposure to air pollution particles in a younger population. It is
also the first to focus on air pollution in the work environment.
Researchers studied 40 men, with an average age of 38,
working as boilermakers in Boston. Such workers are exposed to many
air particles that are similar to those in the general environment, but at a
higher concentration.
Researchers measured the workers' exposure to Particulate
Matter 2.5 micrograms in diameter or larger (PM 2.5). To determine if
these particulate matters were affecting the heart, each worker wore an air
sampler and a Holter monitor -- a device that measures heart rate throughout
the day -- providing a measurement of heart rate variability.
Heart rates were recorded at five-minute intervals to
determine if the heart was beating faster or slower than normal. Heart
rate variability measures cardiac autonomic function, which controls blood
vessel size, blood pressure, the heart's electrical activity, and its
ability to contract.
The study reported a 2.6 percent decrease in normal heart
rate variability for every milligram per cubic meter increase of PM 2.5.
The findings of disturbances in autonomic function in this young, otherwise
healthy population is of concern, the authors write.
Previous studies have shown that heart rate variability is
decreased in heart conditions such as coronary artery disease and heart
rhythm disturbances. Researchers say further research is needed to
understand the significance of these findings.
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