LA Air Pollution Tied To Disease Risk In Black Women

Despite efforts to improve air quality in the Los Angeles area, the city has consistently remained among the most polluted in the country, according to annual surveys conducted by the American Lung Association. The impact of that pollution has proven to be especially detrimental to African-American women, contributing to an increased risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, a new study says.

Researchers at Boston University followed more than 4,000 participants in the ongoing Black Women's Health Study for 10 years and found that those living in neighborhoods with high levels of nitrogen oxides, pollutants found in traffic exhaust, were 25 percent more likely to develop diabetes and 14 percent more likely to develop hypertension than those living in sections with cleaner air.

None of the women had diabetes or high blood pressure when the study began in 1995.

Though African-American women were the subject of this study, which was published in the journal Circulation, researchers have been looking at the impact of air pollution on conditions like diabetes and hypertension for some time. Last year, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison associated indoor air pollution with increased blood pressure among older women. And in 2010, another group at Children's Hospital Boston found a connection between air pollution and diabetes.

Both studies examined the affect of fine particulate exposures, a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets, including acids, organic chemicals, metals and soil or dust particles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Air pollution particles are thought to be small enough to make their way into the blood stream and may contribute to a narrowing of blood vessels, which can lead to high blood pressure and reduce sensitivity to insulin.

Air pollution aside, African Americans develop high blood pressure more often, and at an earlier age, than whites and Mexican Americans do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among African Americans, more women than men have the condition.

Authors of the Boston University study reported that Black Americans also experience higher levels of air pollution than white Americans, but also cautioned that more research needs to be done before these results can be generalized to all women or even all black women living in the U.S., according to Reuters.

Last month the EPA issued new rules that will force power plants to clean up toxic emissions, including microscopic particles that contribute to the formation of soot, a known contributor to cardiovascular problems. The so-called Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are among several new groups of air pollution standards put in place by the Obama administration.

Comments

[Tom Gillilan]

03:05 AM on 03/10/2012

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING TOXIC CHEMICALS ARE IN CHARCOAL AND WOOD SMOKE: 

CARBON MONOXIDE, METHANE, VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, FORMALDEHYDE, ACROLEIN, PROPIONALDEHYDE, BUTRYALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, FURFURAL, SUBSTITUTED FURANS, BENZENE, ALKYL BENZENES, TOLUENE,ACETIC ACID,  FORMIC ACID, NITROGEN OXIDES,SULFER DIOXIDE, METHYL CHLORIDE, NAPTHALENE, SUBSTITUTED NAPTHALENES, OXYGENATED 
MONOAROMATICS, GUAIACOL, PHENOL, SYRINGOL, CATECHOL, PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON,OXYGENATED PAH, FLORENE, PHENANTHRENE, ANTHRACENE, METHYL ANTHRACENES, FLUORANTHENE, PYRENE, BENZO(A)ANTHRACENE, CHRYSENE, BENZOFLUORANTHENES, BENZO(E)PYRENE, BENZO(A)PYRENE, PERYLENE, IDENO(1,2,3-cd)PYRENE, BENZ(ghi)PERYLENE, CORONENE.

THESE CHEMICALS ARE THE MOST TOXIC FORM OF AIR POLLUTION WE ARE NOW EXPOSED TO AS CITIZENS HERE IN LOS ANGELES

WE BREATHE THESE CHEMICALS AS TOXIC VAPORS WHEN YOU COOK WITH CHARCOAL AND WOOD OR USE YOUR FIREPLACE

AT LEAST TEN OF THESE CHEMICALS CAUSE CANCER

THESE CHEMICALS ALSO CAUSE ALLERGIC ASTHMA, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND ADVERSE RESPIRATORY OUTCOMES IN EVERYONE DOWNWIND 
ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY

[Rune Borsjo]

12:35 PM on 01/16/2012

Pollution is bad for health. No, really?

[ounorwood]

04:26 PM on 01/14/2012

I take issue with reports of this nature. I am an African-American man and find these kinds of reports to be highly misleading. Anyone with some degree of intelligence should know that anytime you have reports that site "air quality" but is very specific to a particular race or gender should be concerned. Always question the real motive behind such a report. In this case why are African-American women being targeted? Why? Is there a certain segment of our society that want African-American women to leave L.A. or any other urban areas of our nation? Whats the motive? Is this an attempt at targeted "population control" within the African-American community? Who put this report out? Yes some of us keeps track of this sort of thing. We know that reports like this can be also be used to manipulate the price of medications that so-calledly "treat" these mentioned diseases. We could end up paying more for the meds based on where we live. Nice try to whomever's motive it was to increase prices on African-Americans living in the inner cities of America. This situation is also designed to get around the President's healthcare reforms. You people are something else! Later!

[timsalive]

10:12 PM on 01/13/2012

Diabetes can come from lifestyles but it is mostly a genetic issue. Smog isnt shown as a factor here because you can not show how it is creating the disease. So here is my scenario. I live in an area with smog and there is a lot of crime therefore smog causes crime. So who do I sue?

[elviratootoo]

09:00 PM on 01/13/2012

I am going to ask : Why is there not a column "White Voices" If we are going to be fair and get along in this country then things need to be fair and not one sided. Having ONLY a "BLACK VOICES" column is one sided. About time for a change. My last post was deleted so I am trying again.

[realitycheck101a]

01:05 PM on 01/14/2012

Answer: Because everything else IS "White Voices" ! ! ! Flagged for race baiting ! ! !

[elviratootoo]

08:08 PM on 01/14/2012

Oh so not true! Everything is going in the other direction and as I tried to explain things need to be fair. Why does it have to be called "Black Voices", "Black History Month" "BET", "Black Miss America" and other things designated this way and nothing labeled as white. Flag me all you want. Fair is still fair and not being so causes resentment. Race baiting-BS!

[chickinbeak]

08:43 PM on 01/13/2012

it's hard to think that diabetes and such know's the color of your skin

[chrsahrns]

06:43 PM on 01/13/2012

I lived and worked all around LA for 30 years,outdoors all day and then a 2 hour commute home on those freeways with eyes and lungs burning, and shortness of breath. I wound up with type 2 diabetes. I worked hard with a very phisical job, so I wasn't sedentary except when driving in the smog.