Key Point:

• Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) can increase the risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease in older adults and disproportionately impacts residents of socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
• The findings of this study show that there is no safe threshold for chronic PM2.5 exposure to protect heart health, and that EPA’s newly updated standards for annual average PM2.5 levels in the U.S. will reduce cardiovascular disease. This suggests that the risk of death is not low enough to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. Protect overall public health.

BOSTON, MA—Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) increases the risk of hospitalization for a variety of cardiovascular diseases in older adults, according to a new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There is a possibility that it will increase.

“The timing of our study could not be more important and its implications are profound,” said lead author Yaguang Wei, a researcher at the Ministry of Environment and Health. “Our findings quantify the benefits of implementing stricter air pollution control policies, which are significantly higher than the standard of 5 micrograms per cubic meter set by the World Health Organization, On February 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced updated national air quality standards, raising the country’s annual average PM2.5 allowable level to 12 micrograms per cubic meter ( μg/m2).³) ~ 9 μg/m³.

This study will be published online BMJ February 21, 2024.

Researchers examined hospital records and PM2.5 exposure levels for nearly 60 million Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older from 2000 to 2016. Using a variety of air pollution data sources, they created a map of predicted PM2.5 levels around the world. We linked it to the contiguous United States and the zip code of the beneficiary’s residence. The researchers analyzed the results of the first hospitalization for one of seven major subtypes of cardiovascular disease (CVD): ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms. , each beneficiary was followed up annually. They also examined the risk of first hospitalization by composite CVD subtypes.

The study found that average exposure to PM2.5 over a three-year period was associated with an increased risk of first hospitalization for all cardiovascular diseases, particularly ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia. . For combined CVD, studies found chronic exposure to PM2.5 between 7 and 8 μg/m3.³Representative of current national average levels, the average annual risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease among older adults was 3.04%.For comparison, if chronic exposure to PM2.5 meets the WHO guidelines of less than 5 μg/m³, the average risk of CVD hospitalization was 2.59% each year. Based on these estimates, the researchers calculated that average annual PM2.5 levels could be reduced to 7-8 μg/m.³ Up to less than 5μg/m³ It has the potential to reduce overall cardiovascular hospitalizations by 15%.

Even considering this improvement, the study results suggest that there is no safe threshold for chronic exposure to PM2.5 to protect overall cardiovascular health, the researchers said. Says. They also note that the health risks from chronic PM2.5 exposure will remain significant for at least three years, and those with lower levels of education, limited access to health care, and living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. We also observed that it has a disproportionate impact on people living in the country.

Joel Schwartz, lead author and professor of environmental epidemiology, said: “Efforts are urgently needed.” “Our findings show that EPA’s newly updated PM2.5 standards are clearly insufficient to protect public health.”

Other Harvard Chan authors include Yijing Feng, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Edgar Castro, Alexandra Shtein, Xinye Qiu, Adjani Peralta, Brent Coull, and Francesca Dominici.

The funding for this study is the National Institute of Health Research (subsidy R01ES032418, R01MD012769, R01ES028033, R01ES060232, R01ES030232, R01ES030616, R01AG066793, R01MD016054, P30ES000002) P. Slone Foundation (Grant G-2020). -13946).

“Exposure-response association between chronic exposure to fine particulate matter and risk of hospitalization for major cardiovascular diseases: a population-based cohort study”, Yaguang Wei, Yijing Feng, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Kanhua ying, Edgar Castro, Alexandra Shtein, Xinye Qiu, Adjani A. Peralta, Brent A. Kuhl, Francesca Dominici, Joel D. Schwartz, BMJOnline February 21, 2024, doi: 10.1136/ bmj-2023-076939

Visit the Harvard Chan School website for the latest news, press releases, and multimedia products.

###

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together passionate experts from many fields to educate a new generation of global health leaders and generate powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. I am. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to bring innovative ideas from the lab into people’s lives, making not only scientific advances, but also personal action and public policy. , also working to change medical practice. Each year, the Harvard Chan School has more than 400 faculty members who teach more than 1,000 of her full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officials, the school is known as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! We are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted on EurekAlert! Use of Information by Contributing Institutions or via the EurekAlert System.