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Air pollution impairs endothelial function and blood pressure

Hypertension Research volume 45, pages 380–381 (2022)Cite this article

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ≈91% of people worldwide live in hazardous surroundings with air quality levels that exceed WHO guidelines. Every year, ≈7 million people worldwide die prematurely from noncommunicable diseases as a result of air pollution, which is a global public health issue [1], and the WHO estimated that 4.2 million people die each year from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory disorders as a result of air pollution. Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of several chemical substances rather than a single pollutant. Combustion, such as that from diesel engines, industry, indoor culinary activities, and bushfires, is the main sources of PM [2]. Air pollution is increasingly being recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

PM10 particles have a diameter of 10 microns or less and can be inhaled into the lungs, causing health problems. Particles with a diameter of 2.5 millimeters or less are classified as fine particulate matter (PM2.5). According to the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015, fine particulate matter (PM2.5, with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 m) in air pollution has surpassed smoking as the fifth major cause of mortality [3].

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Acknowledgements

The Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship (D.O. NO. BT/HRD/35/02/2006) awarded (2021) support for this study to Dr. Rajesh Parsanathan, from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.

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  1. Department of Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Neelakudi, Thiruvarur, 610 005, Tamil Nadu, India

    Rajesh Parsanathan & Rajaguru Palanichamy

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  1. Rajesh Parsanathan
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Correspondence to Rajesh Parsanathan.

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Parsanathan, R., Palanichamy, R. Air pollution impairs endothelial function and blood pressure. Hypertens Res 45, 380–381 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-021-00807-x

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