Pollution and Health

The American Lung Association has released a report on the State of the Air: 2008. In this list they report that the top 10 most polluted cities in the US are:

1. Pittsburgh
2. Los Angeles
3. Fresno
4. Bakersfield
5. Birmingham
6. Logan
7. Salt Lake City
8. Sacramento
9. Detroit
10. DC/Baltimore

This is in contrast to Beijing where the Olympics are scheduled to begin soon and the air quality remains a topic of concern.

A handful of athletes have decided not to participate in more than one event because of the problem.

It is not only the athletes at risk. Recent studies showed that people diagnosed with cardiovascular disease face the greatest risk and that if the air quality is bad, you are more likely to have serious heart disease-related event. Being exposed to higher levels of pollution may unmask heart disease even if you’ve never had any symptoms.

Studies have shown that thousands of people in the US die from strokes and heart attacks within 24 hours of a spike in microscopic pollution from the exhaust of diesel trucks, buses and coal-burning factories. This is related to the lungs producing a chemical called interleukin 6 which makes the blood more sticky and easier to clot.

Here are some precautions that are recommended:

· Men age 40+ years should take a low dose of aspirin daily.
· During rush-hour traffic, stay inside. (Beijing’s definition of mild pollution would be a pollution alert day in the US.)
· During airline travel, walk up and down the aisles and do leg exercises to prevent blood clots from forming.