Pollutants in fish could be causing irregular heart beat

Eating healthily but suffering from irregular heart beat (arrhythmia)? The answer could be the fish in your diet. They are getting contaminated from oil spills, and the oil has a pollutant that can affect heart health. The oil contains phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).

Most scientists had linked PAHs to cancer, but a team from Stanford University has discovered that they also damage the human heart. The PAH [highlight]causes irregular heartbeat and weaker contractions of heart cells[/highlight].

It’s been [highlight]discovered in bluefin and yellowfin tuna and mackerel[/highlight] they tested, which came from crude oil spills. Phenanthrene is also found in soil, storm water run-offs, derelict industrial sites and in the air.

It’s an unrecognised threat to global health, say the researchers, brought about by the widespread use of petroleum.

Source: Scientific Reports, 2017; 7: 41476; doi: 10.1038/srep41476