Spikes in air pollution raise heart risk as much as sustained exposure, study suggests

Rapid increases in air pollution are associated with more than double the odds of myocardial infarction (MI), which is similar to the impact of sustained exposure to poor air quality, a study has found.1

“Our study suggests that the risk of heart attack associated with nitrogen oxides depends on the dynamics and extent of increases, and not only on exposure to high concentrations,” said the senior author, Florian Rakers, from Jena University Hospital in central Germany.

He warned, “The impact of rapid increases in …