Extreme heat and air pollution may double your risk of having a fatal heart attack, a new study found.
."Another environmental issue worldwide is the presence of fine particulate matter in the air, which may interact synergistically with extreme temperatures to adversely affect cardiovascular health."
Risk of a fatal heart attack was 18% higher during 2-day heat waves with heat indexes at or above the 90th percentile, ranging from 82.6 to 97.9 degrees Fahrenheit, the study found. The risk was 74% higher during 4-day heat waves with heat indexes at or above the 97.5th percentile, ranging from 94.8 to 109.4 degrees.
During 4-day heat waves with fine particulate pollution levels above 37.5 micrograms per cubic meter, risk was twice as high. For context, the recommends no more than 15 micrograms per cubic meter for more than 3-4 days per year. Despite their small size of less than 2.5 microns, fine particulates — mostly associated with car exhaust, factory emissions or wildfires — can be inhaled deep into the lungs and irritate the lungs and blood vessels around the heart, the news release explains.
"Our findings provide evidence that reducing exposure to both extreme temperatures and fine particulate pollution may be useful to prevent premature deaths from heart attack, especially for women and older adults," Liu added.