The fine particles of pollution that hang in the air can increase the risk for sudden cardiac arrest, according to a study conducted by a team from Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) keeps tabs on air pollution through dozens of strategically placed pollution sensors in cities and towns throughout the country. Researchers wanted to find out if there were more cardiac arrests on high pollution days than on lower pollution days.

Researchers reported that for a 10ug/m3 rise in small particle air pollution, there was a four-to-10 percent increase in the number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Researchers are now looking for a relationship between out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and traffic flow patterns. Other studies have suggested that one in three people live in areas where small particulate matter levels are considered unhealthy.

So what do you say to a study like that? Tell people to move? Not sure.ξ