Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2018 number 6

This review exposes the issue of the relationship between exposure to dust particles from coal and coal processing industries with the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Typical features of exposure to dust particles of this type involves: 1) high levels and the chronic type of dust pollution, 2) a small aerodynamic diameter (AD) of dust particles (below 10 µm) that facilitates their inhalation and entry into teethridge, 3) their trend towards aggregating to clusters with an AD between 2.5 µm and 10 µm that set in the upper respiratory tract, and 4) specific chemical composition (carbon, silicon dioxide, alumina, sulphates, carbonates, nitrates, and volatile organic matter). In spite of the generally proven relationship of exposure to all fractions of dust particles with elevated morbidity and mortality caused by CVD, the proportion of cases triggered by dust particles regardless of respiratory system diseases that are characterised by comorbidity with CVD remains unclear. Furthermore, there is an obvious shortage of environmental epidemiology research with monitoring the particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 0.1 µm, exposure to which could most likely explain the relationship between dust pollution and CVD (the particles with so small AD are able to penetrate to the systemic circulation). At last, the majority of multicentre epidemiological investigations that substantiate relationships between dust particles and developing CVD have been performed in developed countries. Carrying out such research in developing countries, considering their geographical, climatic, and socioeconomic peculiarities, and also characteristics of the implementation of coal mining and processing, would facilitate the research on population interlinks of exposure to dust particles with other CVD risk factors and mechanisms of their pathogenic action. The ultimate objective of such research is to make the personified programme of CVD preventive care considering exposure level and duration to dust particles and co-occurring risk factors.