A review paper suggests that pesticides and heavy metals in soil may have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. “Soil contamination is a less visible danger to human health than dirty air,” said author Professor Thomas Munzel of the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany. But the evidence is mounting that pollutants in soil may damage cardiovascular health through several mechanisms, including inflammation and disrupting the body’s natural clock. At least nine million people die each year from pollution of air, water, and soil. More than 60% of pollution-related disease and death are due to cardiovascular diseases such as chronic ischaemic heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias).
This paper highlights the relationships between soil pollution and human health, with a particular focus on cardiovascular disease. Soil pollutants include heavy metals, pesticides, and plastics. The authors state that contaminated soil may lead to cardiovascular disease by increasing oxidative stress in the blood vessels (with more “bad” free radicals and fewer “good” antioxidants), causing inflammation, and by disturbing the body clock (circadian rhythm). Dirty soil may enter the body by inhaling desert dust, fertiliser crystals, or plastic particles. Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, plastics, and organic toxicants (for example, pesticides) can also be consumed orally. Soil pollutants wash into rivers and create dirty water that may be consumed.
Pesticides have been linked with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. While employees in the agricultural and chemical industries face the greatest exposure, the general public may ingest pesticides from contaminated food, soil, and water. Cadmium is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in small amounts in air, water, soil, and food and also comes from industrial and agricultural sources. Food is the main source of cadmium in non-smokers. The paper states that population studies have shown mixed results on the relationship between cadmium and cardiovascular disease and cites a Korean study showing that middle-aged Koreans with high blood cadmium had elevated risks of stroke and hypertension.
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal with environmental contamination through mining, smelting, manufacturing, and recycling. Studies have found associations between high blood lead levels and cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, in women and people with diabetes. Further studies have indicated a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease associated with exposure to arsenic, a naturally occurring metalloid whose levels can increase due to industrial processes and using contaminated water to irrigate crops. The paper states: “Although soil pollution with heavy metals and its association with cardiovascular diseases is especially a problem in low- and middle-income countries.