POLLUTION

Even Short-term Exposure to Common Air Pollution Sources Could Increase Risk of Stroke, Study Finds

Representational image (Uma Kadam/BCCL) — Representational image
(Uma Kadam/BCCL)

When we hear of someone suffering a stroke, it is common to instantly link it to their unhealthy lifestyle choices or stressful routines. But the deadly health condition has more to do than the occasional samosas and cigarette breaks; research has shown that an external factor you have no control over could increase your chances of getting a brain stroke: air pollution.

Long-term exposure to air pollution has previously been linked to a plethora of scary health conditions. But an alarming new analysis focussing on its short-term implications has proven that even all the vehicle emissions you might’ve inadvertently inhaled on your way to work this morning could’ve increased risks of a stroke.

Defining “short-term exposure” as anything that might’ve occurred within a mere five days prior to the stroke event, the study could directly link a number of cases to elevated concentrations of various pollutants.

For instance, exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide was correlated with a 28% and 26% increased risk of stroke within the stipulated five-day period, respectively. This was followed by Sulphur Dioxide and PM2.5 (15% each), PM10 (14%), PM1 (9%) and Ozone (5%).

What’s more, Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide were also associated with respective stroke-related deaths by 60% and 33%. Both of these gases as well as Carbon Monoxide mostly exist in our environment primarily due to human activities involving the burning of fossil fuels and usage of locomotives. Emissions coming from combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood are also responsible for a significant portion of the PM2.5 and PM10 pollution.

This “strong and significant” link between stroke risks and short-term exposure to air pollution, as found in the study, only further reinforces the urgent need to create policies that will help regulate air pollution.

The findings of this study have been detailed in Neurology and can be accessed here.

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