The study “Mortality burden of cardiovascular disease attributable to ambient PM2.5 exposure in Portugal, 2011 to 2021″, prepared by Mariana Corda (Research fellow and master’s student at NOVA NSPH) and coordinated by Carla Martins (Researcher) within the scope of the PMCardImpact project, was recently published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health.
This project aimed to evaluate the impact of exposure to 2.5 μm particulate matter (PM2.5) on the burden of cardiovascular disease as well as the associated economic impact. Particulate matter is mainly the result of emissions from car traffic, industrial activities and domestic heating, but also from natural emissions such as dust from the deserts of North Africa and those resulting from forest fires. Exposure to this pollutant is more of a concern in large population clusters. After inhalation, PM2.5 causes biological changes in cells, causing a generalized inflammatory response and thickening of blood vessels, also inducing pulmonary oxidative stress. Refer to the article at this link: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18572-0
This study led to the following main conclusions for the first time:
- Between 2011 and 2021, approximately 22% and 23% of mortality from ischemic heart disease and stroke was attributable to exposure to particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5), resulting in 288,862.7 and 420,432.3 years of life lost (YLL) in Portugal.
- The burden of disease expressed in YLL was mostly concentrated in the North, Center and Lisbon Metropolitan Area regions (regions with higher population density, traffic and industrial development).
- Portugal is a country with a positive track record in environmental policies and in reducing the concentration of air pollutants. However, despite this positive development over the years, the limits recommended by the World Health Organization are still not reached in our country, with special emphasis on areas with higher population density. The adoption of the limits for the atmospheric concentration of PM2.5 recommended by the World Health Organization in 2021 would result in a reduction in the mortality from cardiovascular disease.
This study was developed within the scope of the PMCardImpact project, funded by FCT, and is the result of a collaboration between several researchers (Periklis Charalampous and Juanita A. Haagsma from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam; Ricardo Assunção from Egas Moniz School of Health and Science), with the support of the European network Burden-EU. This study was also developed within the Master’s Degree in Public Health, being the main contribution of the dissertation of Mariana Corda, first author of the article.
The results obtained are a fundamental contribution to support decision-making in environmental policies, justifying the reduction of the maximum limits of atmospheric pollutants, currently under discussion for the revision of the European Air Quality Directive.
See also the article related to the research projects taking place at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at NOVA NSPH: https://karger.com/pjp/article/doi/10.1159/000534813/894131/Environmental-Determinants-of-Health-NOVA-National