New Delhi, Apr 27: Think twice before you plan to take a long drive next time. A new research shows that spending too much time inside the car can put your health at risk because of the in-car pollutants which can play havoc with your heart and respiratory system.

The research published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine points to the fact that prolonged exposure to dirty air inside vehicles could trigger potentially dangerous changes in heart function.



Researchers say that air pollution levels inside cars may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with existing health problems by changing the way the heart functions.



However, health experts here in India say that blaming in-car pollution alone for the phenomenon would be wrong as ultimately it is just a manifestation of increasing air pollution.

"The main difference in the quality of air inside the cars here and in western countries is that in India vast majority of people do not drive air-conditioned cars hence the quality of air is equally bad on both sides", says Dr K Srinath Reddy, Professor and Head of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), here.


But then, in case of air conditioned cars too the risk is no less as you are trapping the worst quality of air inside the car and circulating the same polluted air again and again", says Ravi Agarwal, Director, Toxics Link, an environmental NGO. Bureau Report