Environmental Toxins: Women in Polluted Areas at Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Women who live in places that have higher levels of air pollution are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and dying of cardiovascular disease than those who live in areas of less pollution. The study monitored more than 65,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79, who live in 36 cities around the United States. Kristin Miller, an author of the study and a doctoral student in epidemiology at University of Washington said that "our findings show that both what city a woman lived in, and where she lived in that city, affected her exposure level and her disease risk."

Women in Polluted Areas at Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

The researchers looked at women who did not initially have cardiovascular disease and watched them for up to nine years. The researchers noted whether women died from heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular causes or coronary bypass surgery. They then found causality between outdoor air pollution levels near the women's homes and discoverd that women living in areas of higher pollution had significantly greater rates of cardiovascular disease. The researchers looked at particulate matter levels; this comes from industrial sources and from wood burning fireplaces. "These soot particles, which are typically created by fossil-fuel combustion in vehicles and power plants, can contain a complex mix of chemicals," said Dr. Joel Kaufman, a leader of they study. "The tiny particles - and the pollutant gases that travel along with them - cause harmful effects once they are breathed in."