[Air pollution and cardiovascular toxicity: known risks].
METHODS
Review of studies about epidemiological and physiopathological knowledge of ambient air particles short-term cardio-vascular effects. CURRENTS AND STRONG POINTS: Many studies, in contrasted countries for pollution's sources, meteorological conditions or socio-demographical characteristics, have shown health effects due to ambient air particles. After having studied mainly the respiratory effects of particulate air pollution, epidemiologists are now interested in the cardio-vascular effects of ambient air particles. In fact, serious effects seem to exist in fragile people which can get to emergency department visits, hospitalisation and even death. In addition, studies have shown less serious effects, but likely to be frequent (cardiac symptoms, and stoppages for cardio-vascular causes, notably). The exact mechanism by which particles have cardio-vascular adverse health effects is unknown, but experimental and epidemiological studies have led to several hypotheses: local pulmonary effects seem to be followed by systemic effects, which would be responsible for effects on the electrical activity of the heart through cardiac autonomic dysfunction and effects on the blood supply to the heart. The objective of this work is to summarise epidemiological and physiopathological knowledge about the cardio-vascular effects of ambient air particles.


CONCLUSIONS
To evaluate the real importance of cardio-vascular effects due to particulate air pollution and to identify their exact mechanism, a more precise knowledge of detailed causes of deaths and hospitalisations and a better knowledge of less serious effects, but likely to be frequent, is necessary. Equally, a detailed identification of fragile people is essential for developing preventive actions.
Kostrzewa
A
A
Laboratoire santé-travail-environnement, institut de santé publique d'épidémiologie et de développement, université Victor-Ségalen, Bordeaux-II, 146, rue Léo-Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
Filleul
L
L
Eilstein
D
D
Harrabi
I
I
Tessier
J F
JF
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans
D000393:Air Pollutants