Air pollution may be associated with blood clots in deep leg veins

“Given the magnitude of the observed effects and the widespread diffusion of particulate pollutants, our findings introduce a novel and common risk factor into the pathogenesis of deep vein thrombosis and, at the same time, give further substance to the call for tighter standards and continued efforts aimed at reducing the impact of urban air pollutants on human health,” they conclude.

(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[9]:920-927. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by grants from the Environmental Protection Agency Particulate Matter Center; grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; a grant from the MIUR Internationalization Program; and grants from the CARIPLO Foundation and Lombardy region. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Blood Clot Risk Could Increase Estimates of Death Toll from Pollution

Air pollution “has become so omnipresent over the past century as to be commonly perceived as a normal natural entity—‘the lazy, hazy days of summer’,” writes Robert D. Brook, M.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in an accompanying editorial.

“While we have learned to live within this haze without a second thought, air pollution is neither natural nor benign,” he continues. “Even though the absolute cardiovascular risk posed to one individual at any single time point is small, owing to the ubiquitous and constant nature of exposure, particulate matter ranks as the 13th leading cause of global mortality (approximately 800,000 deaths annually).”

Dr. Baccarelli and colleagues have presented evidence of a new category of health risks associated with pollution, he writes. “If future studies corroborate their findings and address some of the limitations, it may be proven that the actual totality of the health burden posed by air pollution, already known to be tremendous, may be even greater than ever anticipated,” Dr. Brook concludes.

(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[9]:909-911. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.