Air pollution spikes linked to irregular heartbeats, study finds

Researchers analysed the concentrations of six air pollutants from monitoring stations closest to hospitals in 322 Chinese cities. Photograph: VCG/Getty Images

Spikes in air pollution increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, a large study has found.

The research, based on nearly 200,000 hospital admissions in China, found a significant increase in risk of arrhythmias in the first few hours after an increase in air pollution levels. Heart arrhythmias can increase the risk of heart disease and sudden cardiac death.