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Carbon monoxide linked to heart problems in
elderly
New Haven, Conn.—Exposure to carbon
monoxide, even at levels well below national
limits, is associated with an increased risk
of hospitalization for the elderly with
heart problems, according to a study
published today in Circulation: Journal
of the American Heart Association.
The nationwide study of 126 urban communities, funded by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences, found that an increase in
carbon monoxide of 1 part per million in the
maximum daily one-hour exposure is
associated with a 0.96 percent increase in
the risk of hospitalization from
cardiovascular disease among people over the
age of 65.
This link holds true even when carbon monoxide levels are less than
1 part per million, which is well below the
EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standard
of 35 parts per million.
This finding suggests an under-recognized health risk to seniors.
Currently, the EPA is evaluating the
scientific evidence on the link between
carbon monoxide and health to determine
whether the health-based standard should be
modified.
"This evidence indicates that exposure to current carbon monoxide
levels may still pose a public health
threat," said Michelle Bell, the study's
lead investigator and associate professor of
environmental health at the Yale School of
Forestry & Environmental Studies.
"Higher levels of carbon monoxide were associated with higher
risk of hospitalizations for cardiovascular
heart disease."
Bell and researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health and the University of Southern
California's Keck School of Medicine based
their findings on an analysis of hospital
records for 9.3 million Medicare recipients
and data on air pollution levels and weather
gathered between 1999 and 2005.
Their analysis took into account the health effects of other
traffic-related pollutants, including
nitrogen dioxide, fine particles and
elemental carbon.
"We found a positive and statistically significant association
between same-day carbon monoxide levels and
an increased risk of hospitalization for
cardiovascular disease in general, as well
as for multiple, specific cardiovascular
disease outcomes, including ischemic heart
disease, heart rhythm disturbances, heart
failure and cerebrovascular disease," Bell
said.
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless gas that is a component of
automobile exhaust. The researchers
acknowledged that additional research is
needed to investigate whether carbon
monoxide or a combination of it and other
traffic-related pollutants are the cause of
the increased risk of cardiovascular
hospitalizations in seniors.
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