Two studies have come out recently, showing increased heart disease from fine particle pollution (PM2.5 or soot) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at levels below the current EPA standards.
These two studies both show that low level air pollution is affecting our heart health. Researchers can find health impacts at levels below current standards. But the current EPA plans to roll back pollution standards and give companies delays in meeting standards. These rollbacks will hurt our health. We need even stronger standards, not rollbacks. It makes us wonder why the EPA is determined to weaken many of the regulations that keep us healthy and safe. EPA’s mission is to set standards to protect health, and all the rollbacks will certainly hurt us, not protect us. All the rollbacks are completely opposite to EPA’s mission to protect our health.
The first study is from the University of Mississippi. Researchers conducted a systematic review of 95 studies of heart disease and low-level air pollution. They studied many kinds of heart diseases, including high blood pressure, heart rate variability, major heart events (heart attacks, etc.), and death. This study found links between PM2.5 and heart disease in half of the studies for PM2.5 levels below the current EPA standard. They also found links between PM2.5 and heart disease in more than 2/3 of the studies at levels below the previous EPA annual standard for PM2.5.
They also found links between PM2.5 and heart health below the WHO standards for both daily and annual PM2.5. The WHO standards are much stronger than EPA standards. And yet, we are still able to find that levels below the stronger WHO standards affect heart disease.
You can read a news story about this study here.
The second study is from the University of Toronto. They studied 11,000 people who had coronary CT (coronary calcium score) for screening, or because people had symptoms. In this study, people who lived in areas with higher PM2.5 or with higher NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) had higher coronary calcium scores and higher burdens of plaque in their arteries. Coronary calcium scores are used to screen people and find early signs of heart disease, in order to start treatment before major problems happen. Even in areas where air pollution levels seem to be well below current standards, researchers found an increase in early signs of heart disease.
Again, here is the news story about the University of Mississippi research. And here is the link to the actual study.
Here is the link to the University of Toronto study of coronary calcium scores.
06/16/2026 AKMB
