What Health Care Providers Should Know About Particle Pollution and Cardiovascular Risk Research shows... • Particle pollution can trigger heart attacks, stroke, irregular heart rhythms and cause other serious heart problems at any time of the year. • An estimated 130,000 premature deaths and 180,000 non-fatal heart attacks occur in the U.S. each year due to particle pollution.t • 92% of cardiac patients are not informed of health risks related to air pollution.* Help your patients understand risks from air pollution and how to reduce them. • Use the daily air quality forecast on AirNow.gov and on weather reports Read the "Heart Disease, Stroke, and Outdoor Air Pollution" handout at: bitly/airnow-heart Learn more at: AirNow.gov and bitly/EPAhealthyheart &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Contact: Dr. Wayne Cascio EPA Environmental Public Health Division 919-966-0617 cascio.wayne@epa.gov t Fann, Neal, et al. "Estimating the national public health burden associated with exposure to ambient PM2. 5 and ozone." Risk analysis 32.1 (2012): 81-95. * Nowka, Matthew R., et al. "Patient awareness of the risks for heart disease posed by air pollution." Progress in cardiovascular diseases 53.5 (2011): 379-384. EPA/601/F-15/003 September 2015 ------- |