According to epidemiologists, particulate matter from fireworks is an underestimated health risk. A recent study shows that people living in contaminated areas are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Another scientific work associates air pollution with an increased risk of death in the early years of life. More than 1/5 of all deaths in the first year of life are caused by particulate matter.
Do particulate matter enter the bloodstream and cause type 2 diabetes?
Particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size not only penetrates deep into the respiratory tract, but also into the bloodstream. Their ability to damage internal organs was proven in 2017.
Previous studies have already linked high particulate matter to heart disease, stroke, cancer, and kidney disease.
Particulate matter affects sugar processing in various ways. They cause disorders of the autonomic nervous system and reduce the body's sensitivity to insulin. An increased inflammatory response is also discussed as a possible cause of diabetes.
Researchers have analyzed data from 1.7 million US veterans who have not yet had type 2 diabetes. The number of new cases over the next 8.5 years was then linked to particulate data.
Result: Veterans living in areas with a high concentration of particulate matter often develop type 2 diabetes.
An increase in risk was detected with 10 μg / m3 of substances in the air. Each increase in concentration of 10 μg / m3 was associated with an increased risk of diabetes by 15%.
Long-term exposure to particulate matter, according to further calculations by scientists, has led to 3.2 million cases of diabetes in the world. Greater air pollution with particulate matter can lead to the loss of 8.2 million years of life in the next 5 years.
The weakness of the study is that many veterans have stopped playing sports.
Lack of physical activity is also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it may be that the lack of exercise explains the association with diabetes, rather than particulate matter.
How do particles affect the airways?
An undeniable consequence of air pollution are respiratory diseases. Children under the age of 5 are at particular risk. Lower respiratory tract infections remain a common cause of death worldwide.
Jos Leliveld of the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry linked air pollution data to disease prevalence.
In 2015, 270,000 premature deaths worldwide were caused by ozone and 4.28 million by particulate matter.
In 727,000 people, death was caused by an infection of the lower respiratory tract. Of these, 237,000 people died in the first 5 years of life.
If the calculations are correct, air pollution can lead to more deaths among children and the elderly. Mortality is similar to the effects of malaria (312,000 deaths) or diarrhea (525,000 deaths).
Particulate matter comes only from fireworks or are there other sources?
It has been proven that particulate matter is also released as a result of traffic. In winter, they are most often released from heaters or fireworks.
The same applies to ozone, which is formed in strong sunlight mainly from nitrogen oxides.
Small particles of dust also enter the blood circulation, where they cause inflammatory reactions and heart disease. In particular, cardiovascular risk increases nitric oxide.
How dangerous is particulate matter for children?
According to Stanford University research, babies in sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable to air pollution. The team, led by Marshall Burke, compared satellite particulate data to infant mortality.
An increase in particulate matter to 10 μg / m3 was associated with an increase in mortality of 9% until the end of the first year of life.
According to American researchers, particulate pollution can account for 22% of child mortality. This results in 449,000 deaths annually in the 30 countries studied.
