Pesticides and heavy metals in soil may have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, according to a review paper published today in Cardiovascular Research, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Soil contamination is a less visible danger to human health than dirty air,” said author Professor Thomas Münzel of the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany. “But evidence is mounting that pollutants in soil may damage cardiovascular health through a number of mechanisms including inflammation and disrupting the body’s natural clock.”

Pollution of air, water and soil is responsible for at least nine million deaths each year. More than 60% of pollution-related disease and death is due to cardiovascular disease 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 ...