There is ample evidence that exposure to air pollution is risky for those with heart or lung disease. A new study, from public health researchers in Germany and the United States, highlights the hazard that pollution poses to people with diabetes which, itself, carries a risk of heart problems. The research focused upon blood pressure which is known to be prone to fluctuations (high or low) as a result of the diabetes disease process.  This team of researchers had already shown that increased PM (particulate matter) pollution exposure interferes with blood pressure regulation, as well as causing inflammation and impaired functioning in the lining of the blood vessels. All of these effects could set the scene for heart disease, and people with diabetes have been shown to be especially sensitive to these effects.  In brief, exposure to air pollution could raise the risk of heart disease among people with

Diesel exhaust emissions can inflame the lungs and increase airway resistance - and that’s just in healthy people. For those with asthma, exposure to diesel fumes can significantly worsens their conditions. Recently, there was a study carried out in London’s Oxford St (high diesel emissions) and Hyde Park (low diesel emissions) which showed increased airway inflammation among participants with asthma after being in the former environment. Oxford St, as Londoners know, is restricted to diesel-powered buses and taxis so this was a good place to determine the impact of diesel traffic on lung health. But people in Oxford St are exposed to more pollutants than just diesel fumes - there are particles from brake and tyre wear and tear and from road surface abrasion. Diesel fumes or exhaust itself is a complex mixture (it can be compared, in this respect, to tobacco smoke) of particles less than 0.1 micrometre in diameter and gases including carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulphur oxides, and

Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without some new research on the impact of poor air quality on health. Time for yet more information on the impact of air pollution on your health…this time, it’s about brain damage and risks to people who have had a lung transplant.

• Writing in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers at the University of Southern California have found that particulate matter (PMs) causes brain damage in mice which is not unlike that found in memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. They collected air samples containing PMs from a local urban freeway and created a suspension with it, to which the mice were exposed over a ten week period. The researchers also did some experiments where they applied the simulated air pollution to rat brain cells. They discovered a distinct pattern of

I will admit that, till now, I’ve not tried the London Cycle Scheme. One reason is that I was put off by the prospect of signing up and paying a deposit. But the bigger reason is worry about being knocked off my bike by a careless motorist. However, I’m reconsidering. The Scheme is now open to casual use - just find a bike stand and pay on the spot with a card (no need to fill a form in) which is a great opportunity to just give it a go!

If you really care about the quality of London’s air, it is not enough to just harangue Mayor Boris on the weakness of his air quality strategy. If you do as he does and actually get on your bike then you are surely doing your bit to reduce air pollution in the capital.

Cycling is good exercise too. Remember, we are advised to take 30 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise five times a week on

Pregnant women have to be very careful about smoke, alcohol and medications - in case their unborn baby should come to any harm through being exposed to toxins. What they often do not think about is that general indoor and outdoor air quality can also pose a threat. There is a lot of evidence of a link between air pollution and harm to the unborn child. Just look at these studies:

• Dr Adrian Barnett of Queensland University of Technology studied ultrasound scans of 15,000 foetuses. Their mothers were all living within 14 kilometres of the city of Brisbane. The size of each foetus was measured, along with the levels of air pollution where the mother was living. Those mothers with higher exposure to air pollution were carrying foetuses that were, on average, smaller than those living in less polluted air. This is concerning, because babies of lower birth weight have poorer health in later life.
• Researchers at the University of Medicine and

Your heart as well as your lungs are at risk if you are exposed to air pollution, according to two new research stories. And there's worrying news about the dangers of 'third hand smoke' (as if second hand smoke wasn't enough of a danger to health). So here's my round-up the latest news on air pollution and health.

• A team of researchers at Toronto General Hospital studied the effect of exposure to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs) emitted from cars and burning fossil fuels on 25 healthy volunteers. They also did separate experiments on exposure to ozone, and to CAPs and ozone together. A combination of the two pollutants caused concerning changes in heart rhythms. The levels of exposure were carefully calculated to match those typically found in both developed and less developed countries. The researchers

Coughs are very common at this time of year. So common, in fact, that many people just dismiss them as an annoyance which is likely the result of a lingering cold. This may well be the case, but cough symptoms may also indicate asthma, or some other serious respiratory (lung) disease. Here are the most usual symptoms of respiratory disease:

• Cough. The two types are dry and chesty (the latter produces phlegm - a colourless or yellow/green discharge)
• Breathlessness (clinical name, dyspnoea). Could be at rest, on exercise, or on lying down. May involve wheezing noise and be worse at certain times
• Chest pain. Might be mild to severe, sharp or aching, worse on exertion

There are several important respiratory diseases, including asthma, so how does the pattern of symptoms fit the diagnosis? Warning, this is for information only! If you are worried about respiratory symptoms, see your doctor without delay!

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I'll make no apology for returning to the subject of swine flu because the British Medical Journal has just put out an advisory note that I would like to share with you.

This follows the shocking news of the death of a healthy baby from H1N1 flu. Three year old Lana Ameen fell ill with what was apparently a cold on Christmas Eve and died just two days later. Now her mother, Gemma, is calling on health ministers to make HINI vaccine available to all children, not just those with risk factor asthma. Official advice remains that the flu jab should only be given to children aged six months and up who have risk factors. Whether this will change remains to be seen.

I visited the website for an update on H1N1 deaths and it makes disturbing reading. There have been 50 deaths from flu since the start of the flu season in October, 45 of which have been from H1N1. Most of these deaths were in people under 65, and five were in children under five. Should we be doing