Environmental pollution is one of the major problems of today’s society, especially in urban environments. Road traffic, as well as industry or coal heating, contribute to poisoning the air we breathe. A threat that does not always get the attention it deserves, despite the fact that almost 9 out of 10 people Those who live in urban areas around the world are affected by it, as it is a phenomenon that kills nine million people every year, as we told you in the last Eco Talk from El Eco from LOS40.
Now, a new study shows that the damage caused by environmental pollution goes beyond what was previously believed. As shown by researchers from the Columbia University, in the United States, its effects are particularly harmful for bone degeneration in postmenopausal women.
This degeneration can give rise to a disease that is much more prevalent in women than in men: osteoporosis. It is estimated that of all those affected, 80% are women which in turn results in an increased risk of suffering from a type of bone fracture.
According to the research, published in the scientific journal eClinical Medicine, Nitrogen oxides in environmental pollution are twice as harmful to postmenopausal women as to non-menopausal women. The reason lies in how these compounds affect the bone mineral density, which measures the amount of calcium and other types of minerals present in a specific bone area. Specifically, the researchers found that the effects of pollutants were most evident in the bones of the lumbar spine, where nitrogen oxides are twice as harmful.
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To reach their conclusions, the scientists used a sample consisting of 161,808 women who had already passed menopause. Their exposure to air pollution was calculated according to their place of residence: those who live in places most exposed to pollution caused by thermal vehicles or power plants are those with the most health problems.
“Our results confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss, regardless of socio-economic or demographic factors”, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Diddier Prada, a research associate in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. “For the first time, we have evidence that nitrogen oxides, in particular, are a major contributor to bone damage and that the lumbar spine is one of the places most susceptible to this damage.”
“The improvement of exposure to air pollution, and in particular the nitrogen oxides, will reduce bone damage in postmenopausal women, prevent bone fractures, and reduce the burden of healthcare costs associated with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women,” says Andrea Baccarelli, director of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia University and another of the study’s authors. “Further efforts should focus on screening those most at risk for air pollution-related bone damage.”