Posts Tagged ‘ Heart Arrhythmias ’

Does your Town Need a Disclaimer as a Defense?

January 16th, 2011. By Hunter West

Imagine, driving down a highway enroute to a major city and encountering the ‘Welcome’ sign that often heralds a municipality’s singular asset, or slogan. “Welcome to Anytown: the Friendly City,” or for that matter ‘You Are Entering the Sunshine State…” 

Well how about this… 

“Welcome to Anytown. Our Smog Can Kill You. Wear a Mask. Stay Indoors, Shut the Windows and Have a Nice Day.” 

Or, 

“Welcome to Anyville. You’ve Been Warned…” 

A study appeared last week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that warns against the possibility of adverse effects for healthy people living in, or within close proximity to air pollution. 

Specifically, the impact air pollution may have on heart arrhythmias that could lead to sudden death. 

The possibility that dirty air could prove a problem for people with heart conditions has been debated for some time. But this is something new, because now we are talking about healthy people, with relatively healthy hearts. 

The small study found that air pollution could interfere with the heart’s inherent capacity to reset its electrical properties in an orderly manner, according to the researchers involved. That can lead to arrhythmias—which can cause sudden death in certain individuals. 

Mind you, the study was small—just 25 participants. However, this is the first time that concern Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Air Pollution, Heart Arrhythmias
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Environment | No Comments »