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New In Coagulation
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Air Pollution May Raise Risks of Leg Blood Clots
Air Pollution May Raise Risks of Leg Blood Clots, Study Say Long-term exposure to air pollution raises risks of potentially fatal blood clots in the leg and thighs, increasing the number of known illnesses caused by bad air
The scientists measured the amount of very small particles and liquid droplets, called particulate matter, in the Lombardy region of Italy as well as in almost 2,000 patients. The average level of pollution in the region was about the same as the amount in many North American cities, according to an editorial accompanying the study, appearing in today's Archives of Internal Medicine.
This is the first study of air pollution's effects on clotting in the veins. It's known that pollution from particulate matter can cause heart attacks, premature death, decreased lung function and asthma, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The study matched 870 patients with blood clots in the legs to more than 1,000 people in a control group free of blood clots. The researchers used the average concentration of particulate matter for each area of the region, obtained by monitors at 53 sites, to estimate the amount of the subjects' exposure the year before.
For every 10 microgram increase in particulate matter per cubic meter, there was a 70 percent increased risk of potentially fatal blood clots.
The mean level of particulate matter was 50 micrograms per cubic meter, which is the acceptable concentration limit set by the EPA.
"These levels of particle pollution occur within North American cities and are actually exceeded on a regular basis throughout much of the emerging world," elopatto@bloomberg.net.
Donna Castellone
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