The danger surrounding us threatens women with more disturbing health damage than men.
A team of scientists found that women suffer more from the adverse effects of diesel vapors than men, but are unsure why.
A team from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, found that women had different levels of 90 proteins after being contaminated when compared to their male counterparts, and that these increased levels put them at higher risk of pollution-induced diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
These proteins are known to play a role in the development of conditions such as heart disease and thrombosis, as well as general damage to the lungs from exposure to pollution caused to all people.
Many respiratory diseases also affect women differently from men, although experts are not sure why either.
These results can help further investigate how the sexes interact differently with pollution.
- The results show that exposure to diesel exhaust has different effects in female bodies compared to males
- and this can indicate that air pollution is more dangerous for male females, said Nilopher Makhrji
- a professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg in a statement.
The researchers, who presented their results over the weekend at the European Respiratory Society's International Conference in Barcelona
Spaincollected data from 10 people for the study.
- Five of the participants were male and one fifth female.
- None of them were smokers and everyone was in good health.
- Each participant spent four hours breathing filtered air
- and another four hours breathing air contaminated with diesel exhaust fumes.
The level of pollution in the air was divided into three categories based on the spread of fine particles, known as PM 2.5.
A blood sample was taken from each participant after each exposure session had lasted for 24 complete hours. Each sample was then subjected to liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to measure the concentrations of various proteins in each participant's bloodstream.
Researchers were able to identify 90 proteins with significantly different levels in females compared to males.
High levels of these proteins put women at increased risk of heart disease and immune system damage.
- In order to better prevent, identify
- and treat respiratory disorders
- we need to understand how both men
- and women react to air pollution.
The proteins discovered by the researchers are associated with circulatory problems, but researchers wonder whether women are more likely to develop respiratory diseases as a result of diesel contamination than their peers.
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