Air pollution can contaminate your heart cells with metal nanoparticles from infancy
Good air is key for a good, healthy body. Researchers are uncovering further evidence of the adverse health effects of air pollution. Smog in Warsaw, 2015. Image via Pixabay. Toxic metallic nanoparticles from such pollution can find their way into the mitochondria of our hearts, a new paper reports, with a negative impact on our health. Mitochondria provide the power that keeps our cells going; damaging them will thus damage our cells. This effect was seen in the hearts of people living in polluted cities and could be an important cause of cardiac stress, the team adds. Poor air, poor health “It’s been known for a long time that people with high exposure to particulate air pollution experience increased levels and severity of heart disease,” says Professor Barbara Maher of Lancaster University, lead author of the paper. “We found these metal particles inside the heart of even a three-year-old.” “It’s really urgent to reduce emissions of ultrafine particles from our vehicles and from in...
