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Abstract

Background Air pollution in the environment and in households is a major health problem, accounting for more than 8 million preventable premature deaths globally each year and nearly 800,000 such deaths in Europe. Objective This paper deals with the effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system. Material and methods A literature review of epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular diseases was carried out. Results Epidemiological studies show that airborne particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This is mainly due to fine dust-induced and/or aggravated cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, hypertension and also diabetes. Experimental studies show that particulate matter enters the bloodstream via a transition process and stimulates the formation of reactive oxygen species in the vascular walls, promoting atherosclerotic changes and increasing cardiovascular risk. Conclusion Air pollution is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, especially as a result of recent calculations. This makes preventive measures necessary, such as a reduction of air pollutant limits, in particular for PM_2.5, from 25 µg/m³ to the 10 µg/m³ recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).