Is air pollution one of the reasons behind high rates of heart disease in India?

For the past month, the news has been filled with headlines about Delhi’s toxic air. Air quality levels deteriorated so sharply that a number of emergency measures had to be put in place, from shutting down school to halting construction activity, just to bring the levels down from ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’. But apart from the many respiratory issues that residents of Delhi, NCR and other parts of India face due to breathing in polluted air, did you know that air pollution could also lead to heart disease? One study indicates that outdoor air pollution from all sources accounts for 2.18 million deaths per year in India – of which 30% are attributable to heart disease.  As pollution levels rise across the country and the burden of heart disease, especially among the young grows in India – we speak to Dr K. Srinath Reddy, cardiologist and distinguished professor of public health, Public Health Foundation of India about the links between air pollution and heart disease and how this can be tackled.  Guest: Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, cardiologist and distinguished professor of public health, Public Health Foundation of India  Host: Zubeda Hamid  Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.