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FACE
MASKS MAY HELP SHIELD THE HEART FROM
POLLUTION |
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Heavy air pollution can have immediate effects on the
heart and blood vessels, but a simple face mask may
offer some protection, new research suggests.
In one study, researchers found that when young men were
exposed to air polluted with diesel exhaust, their
arteries temporarily stiffened.
Meanwhile, a second study showed that healthy adults had
higher blood pressure and a less healthy heart-rate
pattern when they walked through the streets of Beijing
without a face mask.
The good news, the study found, was that the
cardiovascular effects were diminished when volunteers
donned a face mask like those worn by construction
workers to keep from breathing dust.
“Our message from this is that the use of a face mask in
heavily polluted cities ... has the potential to improve
patients’ cardiovascular risk, especially in high-risk
populations,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeremy P.
Langrish, of the University of Edinburgh in the UK.
However, he told Reuters Health, it’s too soon to make
specific recommendations to people who are especially
vulnerable to the acute cardiovascular effects of air
pollution. That includes the elderly and those who have
other risk factors for heart attack, like high blood
pressure or diabetes.
Both studies, published in the journal Particle and
Fibre Toxicology, included healthy young volunteers. In
the first, researchers led by Magnus Lundback, of
University Hospital Umea, in Sweden, had 12 men pedal
stationary bikes for one hour on two occasions — once in
filtered air, and once in air contaminated with diesel
exhaust.
Using non-invasive tests, the researchers found that the
polluted air caused the men’s wrist arteries to stiffen
during exercise.
In the other study, Langrish and his colleagues had 15
healthy volunteers walk the streets of Beijing for two
hours on two separate days. On one day, they wore a face
mask.
The researchers found that when participants wore the
face mask, their average blood pressure was several
points lower. They also had better heart rate
variability — the ability of the heart to speed up or
slow down in response to demands.
Langrish said he and his colleagues are looking to
confirm the findings in a larger trial of patients at
elevated risk of heart attack.
A caveat is that the masks used in this study were
designed for occupational use. Before the study,
Langrish and his colleagues tested a number of masks —
including several marketed to bicyclists and pedestrians
— and found that the occupational mask was more
effective at filtering out fine particles. SOURCE:
Particle and Fibre Toxicology, online March 13, 2009.
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This page
is updated on April 1, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
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