Impact of Air Pollution and Climate Changes on the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease

Air quality and its impact on health was put in the spotlight since the infamous Great Smog of London. Since then, it became clear that adverse effects are serious and can no longer be ignored. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimations, in last year ambient air pollution caused 4,200,000 deaths worldwide. These statistics included a total of 29,165 deaths that were attributed to air pollution in Poland. The vast of studies are conducted in highly polluted areas, in which patients are exposed to extreme concentrations like China oraz Indie. Taking into consideration the scarce number of surveys from Europe the investigators decided to analyze the impact of air pollution and cardiovascular diseases in Poland. Data on morbidity and mortality were collected from the National Statistical Office in Poland. The data of air pollutions and gases were obtained from Voivodeship Inspectorate for Environmental Protection. The daily meteorological data were obtained from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Manageme