US EditionLong-Term Exposure to Air Pollution Associated with Early Signs of Heart Damage
- Researchers led by Dr. Kate Hanneman published on July 1, 2025, a study in Radiology linking long-term air pollution exposure to early heart damage in Toronto and other locations.
- The study arose from gaps in understanding how fine particulate matter PM2.5 affects myocardial fibrosis, a type of heart muscle scarring associated with cardiovascular disease.
- Cardiac MRI on 694 patients, including 493 with dilated cardiomyopathy and 201 healthy controls, showed higher PM2.5 exposure corresponds with increased myocardial fibrosis, especially in women, smokers, and hypertensive patients.
- Dr. Hanneman noted that small rises in air pollution are linked to detectable impacts on heart health, with each one-unit increase in PM2.5 significantly elevating native T1 scores .
- The findings support using imaging to assess environmental health risks, call for further research, and urge public health actions to reduce pollution and related heart disease risk.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Long-term exposure to air pollution associated with early signs of heart damage
Researchers using cardiac MRI have found that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with early signs of heart damage, according to a study that was published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage, cardiac MRI study finds
Researchers using cardiac MRI have found that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with early signs of heart damage, according to a study that was published in Radiology. The research indicates that fine particulate matter in the air may contribute to diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a form of scarring in the heart muscle that can precede heart failure.
Air pollution linked to hidden heart damage, study finds
Air pollution is known to harm heart health, but researchers are now uncovering how it may directly damage the heart’s structure. A new study has found that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is linked to increased heart tissue scarring, known as myocardial fibrosis, even in people without diagnosed heart disease. The study involved 694 adults who underwent heart scans between 2018 and 2022. Of these, 493 had dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition where t…
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