PM2.5 linked to heart attacks
Air pollution increasing the incidence of cardiac arrests, even if that exposure is short-term.
Summary: A study conducted by the Duke-NUS University of Singapore has proclaimed to produce clear evidence of a short-term association between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and increased concentration of tiny particles in the air, i.e. a link between pollution and heart attacks in the Southeast Asian city.
Why this is important: More evidence of the link between climate change, human action and health.
The big theme: Achieving acceptable air quality has various significant investment and decision-making considerations. The most obvious are the implications on human health from a purely altruistic point of view. Decreasing pollution with the aim of decreasing human illness and suffering is (should be) a goal unto itself. In practice however, the focus is primarily on how such initiatives (that more often than not increase costs and dig into profits), will be beneficial to business in the long run, whether it be through decreased healthcare costs, increased health and productivity of the workforce, and reputational gains for such decisions.
The details
Summary of a study published in The Lancet:
A study conducted in Singapore suggests that increased tiny particles in the air have the potential to cause out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). PM2.5 particles are 2.5 micrometers in diameter or 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair and are easy inhaled. They have been previously linked to other significant health problems, including autoimmune diseases.
