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New Connections Between Ozone And Cardiovascular Health

Pollution in Shanghai, China
Leniners
/
Flickr - Creative Commons
Photo of smog from apartment in Shanghai, China.

Burning fossil fuels through cars and coal plants is exacerbating the presence of ground-level ozone gas in the air we breathe. The gas has been linked to negative effects on pulmonary health, but a new study from Duke University shows ozone may have serious consequences for heart health as well. 

In a cooperative effort between Duke and Duke Kunshan University, researchers found higher exposure to ground-level ozone led to higher blood pressure and blood platelet activation – risk factors for cardiovascular health.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Drew Day, research associate with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and the Duke Global Health Institute, about the new study. 

Laura Pellicer is a digital reporter with WUNC’s small but intrepid digital news team.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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