Tiny Particles in The Air May Trigger Sudden Heart Attacks, Study Suggests

The need to cut air pollution levels around the world is even more urgent because of the data collected in Singapore.

The researchers looked for particles 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Their small size makes them easy to inhale, and they have been linked to a number of health problems.

More than 18,000 reported cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were tracked against pollution levels in Singapore. The majority of the cases could be attributed to increases in PM 2.5 concentrations.

There is evidence that shows a short-term association of PM 2.5 with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which can result in sudden death.

We can only theorize about the relationship between pollution levels and cardiac arrests because this is an observational study. Air pollution measurement can't be assumed to reflect individual exposure

There is enough data to suggest that it is a link worth further exploration. The data shows that daily PM 2.5 concentrations averaged out. The researchers found a correlation between a drop in air pollution and a reduction in heart attacks. Reductions translate to 39 and 149 less heart attacks.

There was a drop in the risk of having a heart attack within 3 to 5 days after exposure to higher levels of pollution. Cleaning up the city air could save lives.

Efforts to reduce the levels of air pollution particles in the 2.5 micrograms or lower range and steps to protect against exposure to these particles could play a part in reducing sudden cardiac arrests in Singapore's population.

The chances of surviving a heart attack in a hospital are higher than that of OHCAs. Reduction of these cases saves lives. It can be added to the long list of reasons we need to clean up our air.

Results have been inconsistent in other places, such as New York and Australia, where the link has been spotted before. There is no safe level of exposure for population heart health when it comes to pollution concentrations below the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines.

The majority of us are breathing in air of poor quality which is thought to be responsible for millions of premature deaths each year.

More needs to be done to control air quality in places like Singapore. There are a lot of places to start making progress, including inside.

The study provides strong evidence for the impact of air quality on health and should encourage policy and ground efforts to manage emissions from key sources that can lead to PM 2.5 increases and prevent potential harm to public health.

New policy interventions can help to reduce the dangers.

The research has appeared in a journal.