Household air Pollution and CVD: Identifying best directions for research.

Abstract

We face an increasing global burden of cardiovas- cular disease, principally due to a sharp rise in devel- oping countries experiencing health transitions. Though it has long been known that hypertension, cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and dia- betes are important cardiovascular risk factors, it is now increasingly appreciated that environmental factors such as fine-particulate air pollution represent a serious public health threat. As noted by Rajagopo- lan and Brook [1] in this issue, household air pollu- tion from use of coal and biomass for cooking and space heating may well have a substantial, and potentially reversible, cardiovascular impact. Rajago- polan and Brook call for a concerted research program to estimate the impact and to develop and test interventions. They correctly note that there is a need to balance the cost of research with the neces- sity of additional information. Further, they identify 5 focus areas, including exposure assessment, biolog- ical mechanisms, epidemiology, candidate interven- tions, and cost-effectiveness. They argue that multidisciplinary teams are best equipped to tackle this complex