Air pollution episodes killing off heart attack victims

Commenting on a new study which shows that people recovering from a heart attack are more likely to die if they experience high air pollution, Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“This study shows that high pollution levels can not only send you to hospital with a heart attack, they can kill you months later when you thought you were getting better. Modern air pollution is an invisible killer and levels of very fine particles in Scotland can reach and exceed the WHO safety levels, and Scotland’s most polluted street, Hope Street in Glasgow, managed to average twice the safe level last year.

“Councils and Ministers have been ignoring this problem for a decade but this latest study shows clearly why it is essential we act to reduce pollution from cars, lorries and buses in our cities.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact: Per Fischer, Press Office, Friends of the Earth Scotland
t: 0131 243 2719

Notes to Editors

1. The study is published in European Heart Journal today: Cathryn Tonne and Paul Wilkinson. Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with survival following acute coronary syndrome
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehs480

2. Glasgow Kerbside (Hope Street) averaged 20 microgrammes per cubic meter last year – twice the WHO recommended level.

3. Friends of the Earth Scotland is * Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation * An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland * Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups – covering every continent. www.foe-scotland.org.uk