POLLUTION
Soil and water pollution: An invisible threat to cardiovascular health
Today in Nature Reviews Cardiology: International research team warns of strong links between soil and water pollution and cardiovascular disease
The key points of this publication are:
- Illnesses related to chemical pollution of the soil, water, and air are responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths annually, which equates to 16% of all global deaths; half of these deaths are of cardiovascular origin.
- Degradation of the soil threatens the health of at least 3.2 billion people (40% of the global population). In contrast, more than two billion people (25% of the global population) live in countries that are particularly affected by water pollution.
- Eco-disruptive causes of soil and water pollution include deforestation, climate change, airborne dust, over-fertilization, and unhealthy city designs.
- Pollution by heavy metals, pesticides, and micro- and nanoplastics cause cardiovascular damage, by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and impairing circadian rhythms.
- Exposure to chemicals (such as heavy metals, solvents, dioxins, and pesticides) at workplaces, through consumer products or indirectly via environmental contamination contributes to endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.
“Soil contamination is a much less visible danger to human health than dirty air”, comment the two main authors of the study, Prof. Dr. Thomas Münzel, Senior Professor, and Prof. Dr. Andreas Daiber, Head of the Molecular Cardiology Research Group at the Department of Cardiology at University Medical Mainz. “But the evidence is mounting that pollutants in the soil as well as in water may damage cardiovascular health through some central mechanisms that have been identified to play a key role in the atherosclerotic process such as inflammation of the vasculature, increased oxidative stress, but also the disruption of the body’s natural clock causing vascular (endothelial) dysfunction that may lead to the initiation or progression of atherosclerotic disease.” An important reason for writing this review article was therefore to strongly encourage cardiologists to consider environmental factors that could influence their patients' risk,” adds Thomas Münzel.
The potential hazards of contaminated airborne dust are also becoming increasingly important - commonly known as Sahara or desert dust, for example. Around 770,000 cardiovascular deaths per year can be attributed to dust pollution. “Unfortunately, climate models predict that this airborne dust will increase significantly and that air quality will deteriorate as the planet warms,” comments Prof. Dr. Jos Lelieveld from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.
Controlling soil and water pollution is crucial to reducing cardiovascular risk, according to the authors. Key strategies include reducing exposure to harmful chemicals through improved water filtration, air quality management, and adherence to good agricultural practices. Efforts such as the European Commission's zero-pollution vision for 2050 aim to significantly reduce pollution levels, contribute to healthier ecosystems and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
Promoting sustainable urban design, reducing the use of harmful pesticides, and improving environmental regulations worldwide are also essential to tackle the causes of soil and water pollution. These measures protect ecosystems and public health, particularly by reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease caused by pollution.
The international research team includes authors from the following institutions: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Mainz (Thomas Münzel, Omar Hahad and Andreas Daiber), Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany (Jos Lelieveld), Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA (Michael Aschner), Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain (Mark Nieuwenhuijsen) and Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA (Philip Landrigan).
About the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
The University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is the only medical institution of supra-maximum supply in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and an internationally recognized science location. Medical and scientific specialists at more than 60 clinics, institutes and departments work interdisciplinarily to treat more than 345,000 patients per year. Highly specialized patient care, research and teaching are inseparably intertwined. More than 3,500 medicine and dentistry students as well as around 670 future medical, commercial and technical professionals are trained in Mainz. With a workforce of approximately 8,700 colleagues the University Medical Center Mainz is one of the largest employers in the region and an important driver of growth and innovation. Find more information online at www.unimedizin-mainz.de
Journal
Nature Reviews Cardiology
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Soil and water pollution and cardiovascular disease
Article Publication Date
25-Sep-2024
Air pollution exposure during early life can have lasting effects on the brain’s white matter
First study to investigate the association between early exposure to air pollution and white matter microstructure across adolescence in a large cohort
Exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during pregnancy and childhood is associated with differences in the microstructure of the brain´s white matter, and some of these effects persist throughout adolescence. These are the main conclusions of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The findings, published in Environmental Research, highlight the importance of addressing air pollution as a public health issue, particularly for pregnant women and children.
An increasing amount of evidence suggests that air pollution affects neurodevelopment in children. Recent studies using imaging techniques have looked at the impact of air pollutants on the brain’s white matter, which plays a crucial role in connecting different brain regions. However, these studies were limited in that they only looked at one timepoint and did not follow the participants throughout childhood.
“Following participants throughout childhood and including two neuroimaging assessments for each child would shed new light on whether the effects of air pollution on white matter persist, attenuate, or worsen,” says ISGlobal researcher Mònica Guxens. And that is what she and her team did.
The study involved over 4,000 participants who had been followed since birth as part of the Generation R Study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The research team estimated the amount of exposure to 14 different air pollutants during pregnancy and childhood, based on where the families lived. For 1,314 children, the researchers were able to use data from two brain scans - one performed around 10 years of age and another around 14 years of age - to examine changes in white matter microstructure.
Some effects persist, some diminish over time
The analysis found that exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), was linked to differences in the development of white matter in the brain. Specifically, higher exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy, and higher exposure to PM2.5, PM10, PM2.5-10, and NOx during childhood were associated with lower levels of a measure called fractional anisotropy, which measures how water molecules diffuse within the brain. In more mature brains, water flows more in one direction than in all directions, which gives higher values for this marker. This association persisted throughout adolescence (i.e. it was also observed in the second scan), suggesting a long-term impact of air pollution on brain development. Every increase in exposure level to air pollution corresponded to more than a 5-month delay in the development of fractional anisotropy.
“We think that the lower fractional anisotropy is likely the result of changes in myelin, the protective sheath that forms around the nerves, rather than in the structure or packaging of the nerve fibers” says Michelle Kusters, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. How air pollutants affect myelin is not fully understood, but could be linked to the entrance of small particles directly to the brain or to inflammatory mediators produced by the body when the particles enter the lungs. Together, this would lead to neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and eventually neuronal death, as documented in animal studies.
The study also found that some pollutants were linked to changes in another measure of white matter, called mean diffusivity, which reflects the integrity of white matter, and which tends to decrease as the brain matures. Higher exposure to pollutants like silicon in fine particles (PM2.5) during pregnancy was associated with initially higher mean diffusivity, which then decreased more rapidly as the children grew older. This indicates that some effects of air pollution may diminish over time.
Policy implications
Overall, the study suggests that air pollution exposure, both during pregnancy and early childhood, can have lasting effects on the brain’s white matter. “Even if the size of the effects were small, this can have a meaningful impact on a population scale,” says Guxens.
Importantly, these findings were present in children exposed to PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations above the currently recommended maximum values by the WHO but below those currently recommended by the European Union. “Our study provides support to the need for more stringent European guidelines on air pollution, which are expected to be approved soon by the European Parliament,” adds Guxens.
In a previous study, Guxens and her team showed that white matter microstructure can also be affected by early exposure to heat and cold, especially in children living in poorer neighbourhoods.
Reference
Kusters MW, Lopez-Vicente M, Muetzel RL et al. Residential ambient air pollution exposure and the development of white matter microstructure throughout adolescence. Environ Res. 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119828.2024.
About ISGlobal
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, is the fruit of an innovative alliance between the ”la Caixa” Foundation and academic and government institutions to contribute to the efforts undertaken by the international community to address the challenges in global health. ISGlobal is a consolidated hub of excellence in research that has grown out of work first started in the world of health care by the Hospital Clínic and the Parc de Salut MAR and in the academic sphere by the University of Barcelona and Pompeu Fabra University. Its working model is based on the generation of scientific knowledge through Research Programmes and Groups, and its translation through the areas of Training and Analysis and Global Development. ISGlobal has been named a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence and is a member of the CERCA system of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Journal
Environmental Research
Article Title
Residential ambient air pollution exposure and the development of white matter microstructure throughout adolescence.
Virtual reality can help pedestrians and cyclists swerve harmful pollutants – study
University of Birmingham
Physics-informed virtual reality could be key to reducing the exposure of pedestrians and cyclists to harmful, non-exhaust vehicle emissions, according to a study published today (25 Sep) in the Royal Society Open Science journal.
The research lead by the University of Birmingham (supported by Rosetrees Trust and Research England QR Funding), targets the issue of major health risks and chronic diseases caused by exposure to unregulated particle pollutants from road, tyre and brake sources by providing easy, accessible guidance to the public, policy makers, and city planners, through immersive VR experiences.
Detailed computational fluid dynamics models were used to simulate the release and dispersion of these particles from vehicles - which cannot usually be seen by the naked eye - in order to educate the general public about when they are most pervasive and the ways in which they can navigate their urban spaces more mindfully and safely.
The VR models were put to the test with members of the public in Birmingham city centre: the second largest city in the UK by population, and, as a city, the second largest contributor to UK PM2.5 emissions from brake and tyre wear, based on data from the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI).
Principal Investigator Dr Jason Stafford from the University of Birmingham said: “Air quality plays a key role in the health and wellbeing of society. Despite the electric vehicle transition, harmful emissions persist through the release of small particles from brakes, tyres and roads, into the air we breathe. Computational models can help us to understand the pollution pathways and identify those key moments in people’s daily journeys where exposure risk is highest. By making these non-exhaust pollutants visible within a virtual urban environment using our models, people were able to actually see the dangers with their own eyes and act accordingly in order to reduce or avoid exposure wherever possible.”
The research also outlines how the implementation of VR could lead to a rethink in town and city planning in order to encourage cleaner air. Dr Stafford added: “Early analysis revealed that exposure risk to these pollutants was highest at the end of braking events. Unfortunately, this means that most bus stops, pedestrian crossings, and cycle lanes are within these danger zones due to them often being located at the braking zones of cars (e.g. road junctions) where the largest pollution dispersion distances are found. These outcomes highlight the air quality issues with current layouts, while also supporting the re-design and navigation of urban spaces for cleaner air, particularly situations where vehicle traffic is unavoidably close to pedestrians and cyclists.”
Journal
Royal Society Open Science
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Evaluating exposure to vehicle pollutants using physics-informed immersive reality model
Article Publication Date
25-Sep-2024
No comments:
Post a Comment