The American Heart Association says air pollution appears to be a risk factor when it comes to heart disease. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chris Lehman reports:
Transcript
The American Heart Association says air pollution appears to be a risk
factor when it comes to heart disease. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Chris Lehman reports:
Air pollution has long been linked to respiratory illness. But the
American Heart Association now says people who live in areas with high
rates of air pollution are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Doctor Robert Brook is a researcher at the University of Michigan in
Ann Arbor. He helped author the report.
“We don’t want to be alarmist. And what we’re trying to make clear is that
this is an independent risk, but compared to the established risk
factors — obesity, blood pressure, tobacco smoking and inactivity — it’s a
relatively small one.”
But Brook says the danger is great enough that people with an elevated
risk for heart disease should minimize outdoor activity on days when
air pollution is at its worst.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Chris Lehman.