Diesel fumes change shape of your heart

DIESEL fumes alter the structure of the heart, raising the risk of early death, a major British study has found.

Even supposedly safe emission levels can have a significant impact, researchers discovered.

They said pedestrians should try to keep as far away from the kerb – and passing cars – as possible.

Presented at an international conference yesterday, the study suggests air pollution is not just a danger to the lungs. Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and Oxford University said they had found a specific link for the first time between deformation of the heart and the fine, sooty particles emitted by diesel engines.

The team scanned the hearts of more than 4,250 volunteers, using magnetic resonance imaging.

They found those who lived in areas of high diesel air pollution were more likely to have an enlarged chamber on the left side of their heart.

If this left ventricle becomes too big the heart loses pressure and power. This means it cannot pump as much blood, raising the risk of heart attack, heart failure and death.

Experts are increasingly aware of the impact of diesel fumes on human health, including the risk of asthma, dementia and cancer. Toxins in polluted air are thought to contribute to the deaths of 40,000 Britons a year – but the new evidence suggests even more people may be at risk.

The team, which presented its findings at the EuroCMR heart conference in Prague yesterday, used air monitoring data to establish pollution levels at each participant’s home.

They found for every five microgram increase in levels of the particles – known as PM2.5 – the size of the left ventricle rose by an average of 4.2 per cent.

There was also a drop of 1.6 per cent in the volume of blood pumped around the body. Nay Aung, lead author and a cardiologist at Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘We found that as PM2.5 exposure rises, the larger the heart gets and the worse it performs. Both of these measures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality from heart disease.’ Crucially, his team found that even where particle levels were below legal limits, patients still showed signs of heart damage.

Dr Aung said: ‘This suggests the current target level is not safe and should be lowered. If you want to cycle into work and there is heavy traffic around that time then try to find a quieter route.

‘Walk on the part of the pavement farthest from cars to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe in.’

Diesels have been promoted since the 1970s as the best option for the environment because they emit less carbon dioxide, which is blamed for global warming.

Tony Blair’s Labour government offered tax breaks and the number of diesels in Britain jumped from around 1.5million a decade ago to about 11million today.

The heart study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.