|
Pollution linked to blood clots
13/05/2008 14:14 - (SA)
Michael Conlon
Chicago - Air pollution heavy in
small particles may cause blood clots in the legs, the same
condition air travellers call "economy class syndrome" from immobility during flight, researchers said on Monday.
Dr Andrea Baccarelli of the Harvard School of Public
Health in Boston and colleagues said they found the link after
looking at 870 people in Italy who had developed deep vein
thrombosis between 1995 and 2005.
When compared with 1 210 others living in the same region
who did not have the problem, they found that for every
increase in particulate matter of 10 micrograms per square
metre the previous year, the risk of deep vein thrombosis
increased by 70%.
On top of that, the blood of those with higher levels of
exposure to particulate matter was quicker to clot when tested
at a clinic, they reported in the Archives of Internal
Medicine.
Air pollution from automobiles and industry could contain
tiny particles of carbon, nitrates, metals and other materials
that have been linked over the years to a variety of health
problems.
While lung diseases were an initial concern, later research
indicated it could cause heart disease and stroke, possibly
because it increased the rate at which blood could coagulate,
Baccarelli and colleagues said.
Until now particulate pollution had not been linked to
blood clots in the veins. The mechanism that caused problems
for some air travellers was related not to the blood itself but
to impaired circulation when sitting in one place without
exercise for long periods of time.
The findings introduced a new and common risk for deep vein
thrombosis, the researchers said and "give further substance to the call for tighter standards and continued efforts aimed at reducing the impact of urban air pollutants on human health".
|
