According to the work of Inserm and the University of the Sorbonne, it only takes a few minutes of exposure to air pollution to observe an increase in blood pressure. And if these spikes are repeated, they could eventually lead to chronic high blood pressure. A step forward in research into the risks caused by polluted air.
Barely five minutes after exposure to pollutants in the air, the body reacts with a spike in tension. This was revealed by a team from Inserm and Sorbonne University, assisted by international collaborators, in a study on the impact in daily life of a mixture of five air pollutants on the blood pressure of the inhabitants of the greater Paris. This work was published in the journal Environmental Research.
Diesel engines singled out
The phenomenon was observed in the 221 participants in the study, all of whom were in good health. Their blood pressure rose with each daily trip through the streets of Paris. And for good reason, one of the pollutants responsible for voltage peaks is found at the outlet of car exhaust pipes. “The main source of carbon emissions monitored in our studies is mainly diesel engines. This explains why the participants, during their travels, were exposed to this pollutant which led to its rise in blood pressure”, explains Basile Chaix, researcher for Inserm and Sorbonne University.
According to the researcher, over the years, these repeated daily tension peaks could eventually lead to chronic hypertension, a disease responsible for cardiovascular or neurodegenerative complications.
Source: Europe1
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