Indoor Air Purification Can Benefit Heart, Study
Purification of air is not just good for lungs but can benefit heart too, researchers in China have concluded.
According to a study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns is a major source of indoor pollution in China.
"This intervention study demonstrated clear cardiopulmonary benefits of indoor air purification among young, healthy adults in a Chinese city with severe ambient particulate air pollution," researchers wrote.
To arrive at the findings, healthy students living in dormitories were exposed alternatively to indoor air with and without air purification for 48 hours, with a gap of two weeks. Researchers then measured 14 biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, and vasoconstriction including lung function; blood pressure (BP); and fractional exhaled nitric.
"Air purification was significantly associated with decreases in geometric means of several circulating inflammatory and thrombogenic biomarkers. Furthermore, systolic BP, diastolic BP, and fractional exhaled nitrous oxide were significantly decreased by 2.7, 4.8, and 17 percent respectively. The impacts on lung function and vasoconstriction biomarkers were beneficial but not statistically significant," researchers wrote.
The study however does not make a case for air purification improving existent heart conditions, Reuters reports.
Daily air pollution levels in Asia's major cities hover between 100 and 500 microgram per cubic meter of air, much higher than World Health Organization target.
