National secular trends in ambient air volatile organic compound levels and biomarkers of exposure in the United States

Abstract

Background-Exposure to air pollution is a leading cause of global mortality. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are constituents of ambient air that could exert adverse health effects.Objective-To examine the relationship between VOC levels in ambient air and individual-level exposure to VOCs, as assessed by urinary VOC metabolites.Methods-Secular trends in 11 ambient air VOCs (2005VOCs ( -2013 and individual-level metabolites of 14 VOCs (2005VOCs ( -2014 were assessed using National Monitoring Programs (NMP) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, respectively. To isolate environmental exposure, individuals reporting exposure to tobacco smoke were excluded. Quantile regression models were used to assess secular trends in VOC exposure, and survey-weighted regression models were built to identify factors associated with VOC exposure.Results-All annual levels of ambient VOCs decreased from 2005 to 2013 (Range: 12.5%-77.2%). However, 11 of the corresponding VOC metabolites increased during the same time (Range: 0.3%-53.6%). There was a proportional change in patterns of VOC exposure across NHANES waves, with the middle quantiles of exposure showing the largest increase. VOC exposures were significantly associated with age, sex, race, education, and physical inactivity, but not with secular VOC trends.

Environmental Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds is Associated with Endothelial Injury

“…Outdoor VOC exposures can originate from vehicle emissions, industrial facilities, landfills and hazardous waste sites, while indoor exposure can originate from diverse sources, such as paints, cleaning agents, personal care products, and solvents (Li et al, 2021). Our analysis of the secular trends of VOC exposures in the US suggests that even though there was a decline in the ambient air VOC levels, individual-level exposure increased from (Konkle et al, 2020. Hence, there is urgent need to assess the health impacts of VOC exposures.…”

1,3-Butadiene: a ubiquitous environmental mutagen and its associations with diseases

“…A modeling study of the BD concentrations in Minnesota, U.S., showed that the concentrations were the highest in the center of the metro area and decreased with distance from there [ 43 ]. Technological advances have led to significant decreases in the ambient air levels of BD and other VOCs in developed countries [ 35 , 44 – 47 ].…”

“…Importantly, the BD concentrations in microenvironments are often unrelated to the ambient measurements at nearby monitors [ 48 ], which mostly reflect the BD concentrations in near-road environments [ 36 ]. A recent report also found that there was no association between ambient VOC levels, including BD, and personal exposures [ 44 ].…”

“…In another study, Du et al estimated that ~70% of the overall cancer risks caused by 16 HAPs (including BD) in China was attributed to exposure to these pollutants at home [ 61 ]. In a recent population study, Konkle et al found that, although the ambient air concentrations of 11 VOCs in the United States, including BD, decreased from 2005 to 2013, all corresponding urinary metabolites of the VOCs increased over approximately the same timeframe except for one metabolite [ 44 ]. As pointed out by the authors, the finding indicated that these VOCs in the ambient air were not the major source of VOC exposure [ 44 ], thus providing indirect support for the role of microenvironments in exposure to BD and other VOCs.…”

“…MHBMA is more sensitive that DHBMA [ 133 – 136 ]. The two biomarkers, especially DHBMA, have been used in population-based studies [ 44 , 64 , 136 ].…”