Diesel disruption

Inhaling diesel exhaust at levels typically found in large cities may disrupt normal blood vessel and clotting activity, according to a first-of-its-kind study carried out by

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The report, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, may explain the link between air pollution and heart disease, said lead researcher Dr Nicholas Mills, of the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh.

In the study, researchers from Edinburgh and Sweden found that exposure to diesel exhaust for one hour during exercise caused a significant decrease in blood vessels’ natural ability to expand (dilate). Exposure to air pollution also decreased levels of an enzyme that helps prevent clots from forming.

Increases in air pollution are linked to death and illness involving the heart and blood vessels. The link between air pollution and heart disease is strongest for very small dust particles, of which the combustion of diesel and petrol in road transportation is the major source. But the underlying factors responsible for these effects of small particles on the heart and blood vessels have remained largely unknown.