Air Pollution Can Give You a Blood Clot
A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine recently has shown that there is a link between exposure to small air pollution particles and development of blood clots in the deep veins. They showed that exposure to increased concentrations of particulate air pollution in the year before diagnosis was associated with increased Deep Vein Thrombosis risk.
Researchers in Italy looked at people exposed to types of outdoor air pollution less than 10 microns in size (PM 10). Previous research has shown that exposure to outdoor air pollution effects include increasing your risk of strokes and heart attacks. This study looked at the chances of developing a clot in the deep veins (DVT) against exposure to small pollutant particles. Breathing in an additional ten micrograms of PM10 per cubic meter of air doubled your chances of developing a DVT disease (Deep Vein Thrombosis). DVT symptoms include leg swelling and tenderness. DVT disease is very serious because blood clots that develop in the deep veins can break loose and travel to the lungs where they stop blodd flow to the lungs. DVT disease can cause death in severe cases.
The notation PM 10 or PM 2.5 is used to describe particle sizes in airborne particles. PM 10 particles are 10 micrometers or less and PM 2.5 represents particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. The size of the particles determines how far into your lungs the particles can travel before they get stuck and stop. What causes air pollution with PM10 size particles? Causes of air pollution that give rise to PM 10 particles are generated from a variety of human actions. These types of activities include farming operations, industrial activity , burning wood and fossil fuels, construction and demolition activities, and even just driving can put road dust into the air. Natural sources like blowing dust and wildfires help to create the PM10 particles.
ref: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/168/9/920
