Dr. Bing Zhao is a geriatric doctor in the first university of science and technology of China. This hospital is in Hefei, a city located in the east China with a population of more than 9 million. She completed her medicine degree in China and PhD in University of Tasmania in Australia. Then she went to Duke University in the US as a research scholar.
Her PhD research interest is air pollution and cardiovascular diseases. She is recognized for her presentations at the youth section of annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology, the largest cardiology congress in the world. She has published several papers and one of them was published in the Lancet planetary health.
This is the link to her paper. In my new book Optimize Your Heart Rate I tell the story of my close friend Leslie, aged 64 and apparently healthy with no diagnosis of heart disease, who died of sudden cardiac arrest after 2 days on a road trip.
Time line of my interview with Dr. Bing Zhao
3:29 Breathing polluted air threatens our hearts
4:19 The consequences of PM2.5 particulate matter is dramatic
5:03 PM 2.5 is a mix of solid and liquid – very thin- less than the size of a strand hair -goes right to lungs and heart
7:22 Study in Japan nation wide – Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) – compared # of OHCA with air pollution over 3 days.
7:58 1/4 million cases over 2 years – 65 years of age increased incidence
8:30 Japan has air quality stations all over the world
9:01 Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping = major medical emergency
9:42 Study finding: Short term exposure to PM2.5 up to 3 days associated with increased risk of OHCA — men and women over 65 more susceptible
10:24 Gases in traffic emissions – nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide
11:02 What surprised Dr Zhao the most? People assume that air quality is safe at levels at levels below WHO levels. There are no safe levels of PM 2.5 air pollution for our hearts.
11:35 Current air pollution policy has to be changed
12:28 We need new health care responses to air pollution
Chose public transportation over cars, use air purifiers indoors, and access green space in day to day activity.
14:49 Acute exposure to air pollution increases risk of sudden cardiac arrest in less than 3 days.
18:43 Time line and more info on my website https://treesmendus.com
For the story of my life long friend Leslie who died of a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 63 on day 3 of her road trip see my new book Optimize Your Heart Rate: BalanceYour Mind and Body With Green Space.
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