Air pollution may be as dangerous to the heart as shovelling snow or drinking too much alcohol or coffee, researchers warned today.
The new findings suggest air pollution is a major trigger of heart attacks.
On its own pollution only raises the increase of an attack by five per cent – but because millions of people are exposed to it, it may be responsible for hundreds of attacks, according to the report in The Lancet.
The new research aims to highlight the proportion of all heart attacks caused by different factors. It says about five per cent are caused by air pollution – and about seven per cent by anger or other negative emotions.
The exhilaration of positive emotions is blamed for 2.4 per cent and cocaine and cannabis for 1.7 per cent between them, according to the Belgian researchers.
The biggest single factor was identified as being too much time spent sitting in vehicles – responsible for 7.4 per cent – while physical exertion is blamed for triggering 6.2 per cent of attacks. Coffee and alcohol each triggered five per cent of attacks.
British experts said the findings should not deter people from taking exercise outdoors.
But the British Heart Foundation called for more action to improve air quality in towns and cities.
Judy O’Sullivan, of the BHF, said most of the "triggers" were well-known – but should not be regarded as the underlying causes of heart attacks.
She said: "Given the large number of people living in the UK with heart disease and the likelihood of their exposure to air pollution, this study highlights how important it is that UK governments ensure they meet European Commission targets to improve air quality.
"More research is also needed to identify the constituent parts of polluted air that contribute to heart disease in the first place."
Dr Tim Nawrot, of Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium and Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and fellow researchers write: "Of the triggers for heart attack studied, cocaine is the most likely to trigger an event in an individual, but traffic has the greatest population effect as more people are exposed to the trigger."
They add: "Improvement of the air we breathe is a very relevant target to reduce the incidence of this disease in the general population."
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