New research from the University of Bristol has found that exposure to air pollution from before birth through to the age of 18 has a measurable effect on heart health.
Specifically, they found that such exposure was associated with higher blood pressure and increased heart rate, with a suggestion that it may also lead to changes in artery thickness.
The research followed nearly 4,000 participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study – aka Children of the 90s – tracking three key pollutants: PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide and black carbon, from pregnancy to the age of 18.
Rather than identifying critical windows of vulnerability, the researchers found that exposure at any age appears equally harmful, suggesting that the cardiovascular system accumulates damage from polluted air continuously throughout development, rather than being particularly susceptible during specific periods like pregnancy or early infancy.
Notably, these effects have been identified in a population that experienced generally improving air quality over the study period, yet even against this backdrop of progress, those with higher lifetime exposures showed clear signs of cardiovascular strain.
The study also highlights persistent environmental inequalities, with young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds consistently facing higher pollution levels throughout their lives, setting up a cycle where those with fewer resources bear a disproportionate health burden.
Dr Ana Goncalves Soares, Research Fellow at the University of Bristol and lead author, said: ‘We were able to identify people’s patterns of exposure to air pollution throughout their lives and how these could impact their cardiovascular health in early adulthood, showing that people with a higher exposure to air pollution had poorer cardiovascular health.
‘Although air pollution has decreased over the years, people, particularly from more deprived backgrounds, have been and continue to be exposed to levels above those recommended by the World Health Organisation. Policies to improve air quality are therefore extremely important to promote a healthier environment.’
Significantly, these cardiovascular changes are detectable before any obvious disease develops. By age 18, these young adults aren’t suffering heart attacks or strokes but their blood vessels and hearts are already showing evidence of exposure to air pollution, raising questions about what their cardiovascular health will look like at 40 or 60 years old.
Professor Nic Timpson, Principal Investigator at Children of the 90s, said: ‘As more people around the world grow up in urban environments, it’s crucial to look at how exposure to air pollution impacts on long-term health.
‘Without longitudinal studies like Children of the 90s, which started in pregnancy, we wouldn’t be able to see patterns like this emerge. This study helps us identify the time periods that are particularly sensitive to air pollution exposure, which builds on the previous body of research and could have profound impacts on policy and preventative healthcare.’
The full research can be read here.
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