American Heart Association and EPA Host Briefings on the Dangers of Air Pollution and Health

The American Heart Association, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, held two informational briefings to educate congressional staff, media and others about the effects of air pollution and how it can contribute to cardiovascular disease. “Breathe Cleaner, Live Longer,” held May 21 on Capitol Hill, was the first seminar. Association volunteers Arden Pope, Ph.D., and Robert Brook, M.D., discussed their pollution study that appeared in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Their study linked air pollution, cardiovascular disease and death, and they discussed how people with high cardiovascular risk should limit their exposure. The second seminar, “Air Pollution –A Matter of the Heart,” held at the EPA building June 7, revealed facts and statistics on polluted air and its link to cardiovascular disease. Presentations were conducted by several EPA senior scientists and other environmental health science experts.