Association of Long-Term Near-Highway Exposure to Ultrafine Particles with Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes and Hypertension

Abstract

Ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations are elevated near busy roadways, however, their effects on prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension are not well understood. To investigate these associations, data on demographics, diseases, medication use, and time of activities were collected by in-home surveys for 704 participants in three pairs of near-highway and urban background neighborhoods in and near Boston (MA, USA). Body mass index (BMI) was measured for a subset of 435 participants. Particle number concentration (PNC, a measure of UFP) was collected by mobile monitoring in each area. Intra-neighborhood spatial-temporal regression models (approximately 20 m resolution) were used to estimate hourly ambient PNC at the residences of participants. We used participant time activity information to adjust annual average residential PNC values and assign individualized time activity adjusted annual average PNC exposures (TAA-PNC). Using multivariate logistic regression models, we found an odds ratio (OR) of 1.35 (95% CI: 0.83, 2.22) of TAA-PNC with stroke and ischemic heart diseases (S/IHD), an OR of 1.14 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.62) with hypertension, and an OR of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.46, 1.10) for diabetes. A subset analysis controlling for BMI produced slightly stronger associations for S/IHD (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 0.88, 2.92) and hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.81, 2.02), and no association with diabetes (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.61, 1.96). Further research is needed with larger sample sizes and longitudinal follow-up.

Inhalation of printer-emitted particles impairs cardiac conduction, hemodynamics, and autonomic regulation and induces arrhythmia and electrical remodeling in rats

“…Due to their size, ENMs can bypass biological barriers, become systemic, interfere with cellular processes, and induce adverse health effects [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Despite that numerous studies have linked exposure to ambient ultrafine particles to cardiovascular dysfunction, autonomic dysregulation, and heart disease [16][17][18][19], there are only limited investigations into the cardiovascular effects of ENMs [20].…”

Brake Wear Particle Emissions of a Passenger Car Measured on a Chassis Dynamometer

“…This is probably due to more variations on the setup and measurement protocols when PN related studies are examined. One has to keep in mind that traffic related PN emissions, particularly ultrafine particle emissions, are becoming more relevant due to demonstrated negative health effects [17,18].One important reason for the observed inconsistencies in the measurement of PM and PN EFs is the lack of a standardized methodology for sampling and measuring brake wear particle emissions [7]. Indeed, in most references provided previously, different sampling and measurement setups were employed.…”

“…This is probably due to more variations on the setup and measurement protocols when PN related studies are examined. One has to keep in mind that traffic related PN emissions, particularly ultrafine particle emissions, are becoming more relevant due to demonstrated negative health effects [17,18].…”

Atmen: Luftschadstoffe und Gesundheit – Teil III

“…In der niederländischen Studie war die PM 2.5 -Konzentration selbst nicht mit der Diabetesprävalenz assoziiert, sondern das oxidative Potenzial, was auf die biologische Bedeutung einzelner Komponenten im Feinstaubgemisch hinweist. Nicht aussagekräftige oder sogar inverse Schätzer fanden sich in einer Studie in der Umgebung von Boston, bei der die Belastung gegenüber ultrafeinen Partikeln mit Modellierungen und einem Aktivitätstagebuch erfasst wurde [34], und in einer Studie in Großbritannien, bei der die positiven Punktschätzer für NO 2 nach Adjustierung für Grünflächen eine inverse Assoziation zeigten [35].…”