Car smoke causes arrhythmias

If people inhale carbon monoxide in dirty air, arrhythmia can occur.

>>>Breathing car smoke increases the risk of heart attack

CO is produced in the operation of burning cigarettes and burning fuel in car engines. If people inhale too much CO, it will push oxygen out of the blood, reducing the amount of oxygen in the body.

Emissions from cars are one of the sources of CO.

To investigate the impact of CO in polluted air because of smoke, scientists from the University of Leeds in England conducted a test for a group of mice. They put them in a crowded street-like room and measured their heart rate, the BBC reported.

The results showed the rats' hearts beating with a chaotic rhythm after they inhaled CO in the air. Arrhythmia is a syndrome that can be fatal.

"This finding surprised us. The rats were exposed to the atmosphere of CO equivalent of crowded street air and immediately arrhythmias occurred in their bodies , " said the teacher. Professor Chris Peers, a member of the research team, said.

Peers admitted he and his colleagues have not found a way to prevent the effects of CO on the heart.

Dr. Helene Wilson, a consultant with the British Heart Foundation, said the Peers group's research helped scientists understand the underlying causes of arrhythmias.

"CO poisoning is quite a common phenomenon, but new findings can help us save many lives in the future," Wilson commented.