Researchers link exposure to air pollution to heart attack risk

Individuals who live in high-pollution areas and have other cardiovascular risk factors may benefit from talking to their doctor about a prescription to buy Plavix, as new research shows that air pollution may be linked to heart attack risk.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine researchers who conducted the study said the risk was apparent after just a few hours of exposure to pollution but did not necessarily last when individuals were removed from areas of air pollution.

This led the researchers to conclude that most of the heart attacks they found that could be attributable to pollution would have happened anyway. It may simply be that exposure to air pollution caused the heart attack to happen sooner than it would have under normal conditions.

Regardless of whether or not air pollution was the cause of the heart attacks, the researchers said their findings add weight to arguments in favor of stricter control over particles released into the air. Previous investigations have shown that exposure to air pollution increases mortality rates and the presence of other diseases. Together, this should be enough for stronger regulations.