Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with incidences of cardiovascular disease and even death, according to a report by graduate student Kristin Miller.

The project involved 65,893 postmenopausal women in 36 metropolitan areas during a six-year period.

Miller's research team found that with every 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase of air pollution, there is a 76 percent increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Looking through these women's medical records, Miller's group found complications included death by coronary heart disease, stroke, myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization.

"Everyone is exposed to some level of air pollution," Miller said. "The bad news is there is not a lot an individual can do to reduce their long-term average exposure to fine particle matter air pollution ... The good news is we already know a lot about the risk factors and causes of cardiovascular disease."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a sector of the federal government, the average adult breathes more than 3,000 gallons of air per day.

Though automobiles and fossil fuels are the most familiar sources of air pollution, other examples are power plants, cleaning fluids, burning wood and fumes from paint.

Many research projects like Miller's heighten the public's awareness about health issues and inspire proactive actions such as the banning of smoking in certain office buildings, hotels and restaurants.

Technology, such as hybrid cars, also allows a shift from the dependence on fossil fuels to new energy sources.

"Types of air pollution should be decreased on average among younger people today, compared with a generation or two ago when there were many more smokers and smoking was permitted in the workplace," Miller said.

Joel Kaufman, fellow researcher and professor of epidemiology also noted the decrease in air pollution.

"The most polluted areas of the U.S. — like the Los Angeles basin — are substantially better in terms of air quality now then they were 35 years ago," he said.

Cleaning the air is an on going project.

The Clean Air Act was adopted six decades ago, putting a limit on concentrations of air pollutants.

The EPA has been devoted to keeping the air clean by using air pollution dispersion models and mathematical simulations to assess pollution control strategies.

Tools for monitoring air pollution are also available to the public.

The Air Quality Index is a standard indicator of air quality of a given location. Using this, the public may be asked to bus or carpool when levels of pollution worsen.

With the government working to clean the air and providing ways to spot air pollution, risk reduction depends on the individual, Miller said.

Reach reporter Victoria Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.