Dr Jeanette Stingone: Air Pollution Is an Issue Everywhere in the US

The effects of air pollution on heart health are well known now, and it can be an issue for people in both urban and rural areas of the United States, explained Jeanette Stingone, PhD, of Mount Sinai Health System.

Transcript (slightly modified)

What are the basic effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health?

We’ve known that air pollution affects health in general for centuries. It was probably the Six Cities Study in the early 1990s that really established that air pollution was associated with a greater morbidity and mortality. Since then, they really start to look at what are the mechanisms for that relationship that they observed, and it’s vast. We have seen associations between exposure to air pollution and heart rate variability, and mean heart rate, thrombus formation, atherosclerosis, and all of those things contribute to cardiovascular outcomes later in life.

Are there notable locations in the United States where we see a connection between air pollution and heart health?

Pretty much wherever people look. When they see higher level of air pollution they see associations with cardiovascular outcomes. So, from big cities like New York and Los Angeles, to even rural areas that may be near an industrial site. So, it’s not like if you don’t live in LA you’re safe—it’s really a problem everywhere and it’s something to consider no matter where you live.