Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 46 In its latest report on air quality, the European Environment Agency lists the years of life that air pollution costs the population, among other things. According to the list, in 2016 Europeans lost the equivalent of over 800,000 years of life as a result of the levels of nitrogen oxide in the air—based on a conserva­ tive estimate. The main sources of nitrogen oxide in the European Union are combustion engines in motor vehicles, in particular diesel cars, and in heating systems. The gas has been shown to irritate and dam- age the respiratory organs and increases the risk of a heart attack. The limit val- ues of 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air as a maximum hourly value and 40 micrograms as an annual average, which apply across Europe, are moni­ tored using a dense network of measur­ ing points as a result. In a study published by the »European Journal of Preventive Cardiology«, doc- tors and medical statisticians from Jena have now proven that a rapid increase in nitrogen oxide levels in the air can also have an impact on health. The re­ searchers considered all patients who were treated for an acute heart attack at Jena University Hospital between 2003 and 2010. The only data included in the analysis were that relating to those pa- tients who lived within ten kilometres of the hospital and for whom it was pos- sible to fully reconstruct what happened when the complaints had begun. The data from these patients, who numbered just under 700, was then compared with the recorded emissions data for nitrogen oxide (NO X /NO 2 ), Nitrogen oxide is a risk over short periods, too There is a long-standing evidence that high levels of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere are harmful to health, particularly to the circulatory system. In a recent study, scientists of the Jena University Hospital have proven that a rapid rise of nitrogen oxide in the surrounding air within 24 hours increases the short-term risk of a heart attack. Such dynamic changes in concentrations of air pollutants are not covered by current European statutory limits. BY UTA VON DER GÖNNA M E D I C I N E