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A staggering 40,000 early deaths occur yearly in the UK due to the effects of air pollution. In cities like Edinburgh, much of this pollution comes from car exhaust fumes permeating the air we breathe. Join us to find out how these particles enter our lungs and affect our heart and vessels. With support from the British Heart Foundation, we welcome Mark Miller and Amanda Hunter to share their research on the effects of inhaled pollutants. We'll be getting interactive with live dissections of the heart and lungs - not for the faint-hearted! Not accessible for those with impaired mobility.
Car to coronary: how air pollution damages the heart and blood vessels
It will come as no surprise that air pollution is bad for your health, but did you realise that is responsible for several million deaths across the world every year? It is easy to imagine how air pollution can cause damage to your lungs, but in fact most deaths from air pollution are due to cardiovascular disease. Tiny particles in vehicle exhaust are known to be especially harmful. This talk will give an overview of research in people exposed to dilute diesel exhaust, as the evidence shows that this air pollutant can damage your heart and blood vessels in many different ways.
Firefighting – an attack on the heart?
Did you know that the most common cause of death in firefighters on duty isn't burns but heart attack? Heart attack, or 'myocardial infarction', accounts for a staggering 45% of deaths in these individuals at work. Join Dr Amanda Hunter as she discusses the how pollutant inhalation affects the health of these individuals who risk their lives to protect the lives of others.
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