Poor Air Quality Linked to Heart Problems

By Sally Finder-Koziol

To put it bluntly, pollution stinks—and a new study shows just how dangerous it can be to heart health. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health have found that as pollution levels increase, so do heart-related admissions to emergency rooms. For example, in Chicago’s Cook County, on days with the highest levels of air pollution, ER admissions for heart failure jumped 5 percent.

And unfortunately, there’s not much people can do to protect themselves from pollutants. The particulate matter isn’t just outside, explains Francesca Dominici, the study’s lead author. It also invades our homes and offices, making it impossible to avoid. Dominici hopes her findings will attract notice and prompt action by the Environmental Protection Agency. “Let’s hope that the study impacts regulatory policy, so that the current (allowable pollution) standards will be lowered,” she says.