Air pollution can increase the risk of premature death, even decades later, one of the longest running air pollution studies suggests.
British scientists found the negative health effects of air pollution — such as a higher risk of lung and heart disease — can persist for more than 30 years. The study authors suggested that more research into the long-term health effects of air pollution — often called smog — is needed.
“Air pollution has well established impacts on health, especially on heart and lung disease,” study author Dr. Anna Hansell, from Imperial College London, said in a university news release. “The novel aspects of our study are the very long follow-up time and the very detailed assessment of air pollution exposure, using air-quality measurements going back to the 1970s.”
