Introduction
Ambient Particulate Matter and the Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

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Anthropogenic particles

The major source of anthropogenic ambient PM in urban areas is the combustion of fossil fuels either from mobile sources (eg, diesel- and gasoline-fired light or heavy duty vehicles) or stationary sources (eg, home heating, power plants, and industry).11, 12, 13, 14

Primary particles are directly formed during the combustion processes and are liquids or solids in the size range <30 nm.15 Upon release from the source, the primary particles rapidly grow into accumulation mode particles ranging

The fate of particles in the respiratory tract

The primary point of entry for PM is the respiratory tract. Their aerodynamic behavior governs their fate in the respiratory system.16, 17, 18 Particles with a diameter smaller than 10 μm are inhaled, and a proportion of them are deposited in the upper and lower airways.19 Particles smaller than 2.5 μm can penetrate into the lung and reach the alveolar space. Correspondingly, PM smaller than 10 μm (PM10) or 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is routinely assessed in air monitoring and reported as μg/m3.

The size of

Particle characteristics and biologic responses

The biologic responses to ambient PM vary by size and chemical composition.20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Critical properties of the particles are the surface area and their oxidative stress potential both being related to higher biologic activity and the induction of oxidative stress in their immediate surroundings. In addition, high soot content as well as high concentrations of bioavailable transition metals have been found to increase the biologic activity of the particles. These properties are

The scientific statement of the American Heart Association

In 2004, the first American Heart Association scientific statement on “Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease” concluded that exposure to PM air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.8 Thereafter, numerous studies have expanded the understanding of this association and further elucidated the physiologic and molecular mechanisms involved, which were summarized in an updated American Heart Association scientific statement in 2010.7 The writing group provided expert

Novel aspects of air pollution and cardiovascular disease research

An area of intensive research is the establishment of the association between ambient air pollution concentrations and incident cardiovascular disease. Data from the Women Health Initiative, investigating the association between annual average PM2.5 concentration and incident coronary heart disease in women by Miller et al,39 found evidence for associations both with nonfatal and fatal coronary heart disease. Although animal models have demonstrated the potential of ambient PM to promote

Conclusion

This issue of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases integrates summaries of existing evidence for the association between ambient PM and cardiovascular disease and highlights areas of ongoing research. It deliberately chose to focus on ambient particulate air pollution because this was the main focus of research activities that have promoted the more stringent standards and implementation of control measures in recent years. Interaction between gas- and particle-phase anthropogenic air pollutants

Statement of Conflict of Interest

The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.

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