Pollution is bad for you
Every week, the Null dissects the most self-evident studies and pointless papers not to hit the headlines. It's harsh, but funny. This week, Andrew Impey is on the streets in search of heart disease and toxic fumes.
In a scientific first, researchers directly exposed heart patients to air pollution to test for adverse reactions. A somewhat surprising approach, given that there was a pretty good chance that diesel exhaust and soot particles would be potentially risky for heart disease sufferers.
But rest assured it was all worth the risk because now there is the scientific evidence to back up the shaky hypothesis that pollution is bad for you if you have a dodgy ticker.
The American Heart Association claims that these findings now have huge implications for the 16 million Americans who suffer from heart disease – no
more urban jogging one can only presume.But the recommendations don't stop there; apparently asthma and bronchitis sufferers should also avoid pounding the smog-filled streets.
A director of clinical research at Rutgers University effortlessly contradicted himself by saying "it's quite amazing what they found, but not a surprise".
More studies of the bleedin' obvious:
- You don't say - Adults baby-talk to babies
- Shiver me timbers - Teens likely to be a bit lazy
- Whatever next - Wearing clothes can prevent sunburn
- Stop press - Longer ambulance journeys lead to more deaths
This article originally appeared in our regular column on the Daily Telegraph website.
Image: Janka/w
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