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November 30, 2021 – When the sky was blue and air pollution was reduced during the blockade at home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were fewer heart attacks in the United States, a new study shows.
The researchers studied the levels of air pollution and the number of severe heart attacks reported by emergency medical personnel in 29 US states, from January 2019 to April 2020.
That includes about two weeks since many states issued orders to stay home after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020.
There were almost no vehicles on the roads or planes in the sky during the blockade, so exhaust emissions fell.
In particular, there were fewer small particles in the air – also called dust particles – that were less than 2.5 micrometers wide.
In this study, every 10 µg / m3 a decrease in the levels of this particle size is associated with a 6% reduction in severe heart attacks, after adjusting for the census area, day of the week, month and year. (The term „µg / m3”Refers to the concentration of air pollutants. This means micrograms or one millionth of a gram per cubic meter of air.)
The findings were presented by Sidney Aung, a fourth-year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues at the 2021 American Heart Association (AHA) research sessions.
The pandemic halt was a “unique opportunity” to explore how a shorter period of cleaner air could be linked to less severe heart attacks, said senior author Gregory M. Marcus, MD, a professor at the University of California. in the San Francisco WebMD.
“And indeed, when pollution has decreased, we have found a concomitant reduction in the most serious forms of heart attack,” he said.
But researchers warn that this is a preliminary observational study, so it can not show cause and effect. And while air pollution may have been a contributing factor, other things may explain the observed reduction in heart attacks.
However, these findings show “possible immediate health impacts from pollution,” so people need to push for cleaner air initiatives, Aun told WebMD.
This study is perhaps one of the few in the United States that suggests a reduction in [heart attacks] as a consequence of the reduction in air pollution levels associated with COVID-19, “said Sanjay Rajagopalan, a doctor of medicine who was not involved in the study.
The results “clearly suggest that urgent action is needed to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy sources” to benefit human health as well as the planet, said Rajagopalan, a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Ohio.
“If these results persist, it reinforces the benefits of reducing air pollution as a cost-effective way to improve health,” said Joel D. Kaufman, MD, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle who did not participate in the study. .
“It also means that reducing the burning of fossil fuels, which we have to do anyway to fight climate change, can mean huge health benefits now, even if the climate benefits take several years, for to accumulate.
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