Pollution exposure at work may be associated with heart abnormalities
among Latinx community
Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
Hispanic/Latinx adults exposed to burning wood, vehicle exhaust,
pesticides or metals while at work may have abnormal heart structure
and function. The longer workers are exposed at their jobs, the more
likely they are to have heart structure and function abnormalities.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Hispanic/Latinx adults who are exposed to smoke from burning wood,
vehicle exhaust, pesticides or metals at workplaces are more likely to
have abnormalities of the heart structure and function that could lead
to cardiovascular disease, according to new research published today in
the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal
of the American Heart Association.
========================================================================== Environmental toxin exposure is a recognized cardiovascular disease
risk factor. Researchers have found environmental pollutant exposure is associated with stroke, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation
and sudden cardiac death.
"Prior studies have focused on the effects of exposures where people
live. And in those studies, people with Hispanic or Latinx backgrounds
have been underrepresented," said Jean Claude Uwamungu, M.D., study
co-lead author and a cardiology fellow in training at Montefiore Health System/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. "We
looked specifically at a population of Hispanic/Latinx adults to assess
the relationship between exposures at work and their heart health."
Researchers used questionnaires completed by participants to report
frequency of exposures and ultrasound to examine the hearts of 782 working adults who were part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of
Latinos (HCSL/SOL).
The study participants were of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican,
Central American or South American background and lived in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City; Chicago; Miami; and San Diego, and were
average age 52.9 years, half women (52%).
Participants reported on their exposures to workplace pollutants,
including burning wood; pesticides; metals, such as manganese, lead or
mercury; and vehicle exhaust. Exposure to vehicle exhaust at work was
the most-reported pollutant compared to any other.
The researchers found: Occupational exposure to burning wood or wood
smoke was associated with decreased ability (3.1% lower) of the left
ventricle of the heart to pump blood.
========================================================================== Occupational exposure to vehicle exhaust was associated with decreased
right ventricular systolic function and a decreased left ventricular longitudinal strain, both are indicators of the heart's reduced pumping ability.
People exposed to burning wood, vehicle exhaust, pesticides and metals
who had worked in their jobs for many years (average of 18 years) were
more likely to have features of abnormal heart function and structure.
Occupational pesticide exposure was associated with an abnormal global
left ventricular longitudinal strain, which is a measure of left
ventricle's ability to contract.
Individuals exposed to metals at work were more likely to have abnormal
left ventricular longitudinal strain and increased left ventricular
muscle mass, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The relationship they found between wood and vehicle smoke exposures and measures of heart function and structure did not vary notably between
smokers and non-smokers, which suggests independent associations between
these exposures and heart structure and function.
"These findings support the notion that where people live and work
affects cardiovascular health. Policies and interventions to protect
the environment and safeguard workers' health could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart failure especially among low income occupations that have higher exposure to these harmful pollutants,"
Uwamungu said. "Health care professionals should routinely ask patients
about exposure to pollutants at work to guide prevention, diagnosis and treatment of early stages of heart disease." Limitations of this study
include that it was observational, and exposures were self-reported. In addition, it looked at associations and not whether the exposures could
cause changes to the heart muscle. "However, the findings of this study
have public health relevance given the potential for heart damage with long-term occupational exposure to these pollutants," Uwamungu said.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Melissa S. Burroughs Pen~a, Jean Claude Uwamungu, Catherine
M. Bulka,
Katrina Swett, Krista M. Perreira, Mayank M. Kansal, Matthew
Shane Loop, Barry E. Hurwitz, Martha Daviglus, Carlos
J. Rodriguez. Occupational Exposures and Cardiac Structure
and Function: ECHO‐SOL (Echocardiographic Study of
Latinos). Journal of the American Heart Association, 2020; DOI:
10.1161/JAHA.120.016122 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826083022.htm
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