Personal Exposure to Household Particulate Matter, Household Activities and Heart Rate Variability among Housewives

Abstract

BackgroundThe association between indoor air pollution and heart rate variability (HRV) has been well-documented. Little is known about effects of household activities on indoor air quality and HRV alteration. To investigate changes in HRV associated with changes in personal exposure to household particulate matter (PM) and household activities.MethodsWe performed 24-h continuous monitoring of electrocardiography and measured household PM exposure among 50 housewives. The outcome variables were log10-transformed standard deviation of normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (SDNN) and the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (r-MSSD). Household PM was measured as the mass concentration of PM with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm (PM2.5). We used mixed-effects models to examine the association between household PM2.5 exposure and log10-transformed HRV indices.ResultsAfter controlling for potential confounders, an interquartile range change in household PM2.5 with 1- to 4-h mean was associated with 1.25–4.31% decreases in SDNN and 0.12–3.71% decreases in r-MSSD. Stir-frying, cleaning with detergent and burning incense may increase household PM2.5 concentrations and modify the effects of household PM2.5 on HRV indices among housewives.ConclusionsIndoor PM2.5 exposures were associated with decreased SDNN and r-MSSD among housewives, especially during stir-frying, cleaning with detergent and burning incense.

Biomarkers of Human Cardiopulmonary Response After Short-Term Exposures to Medical Laser-Generated Particulate Matter From Simulated Procedures

“…The observed decline in HRV measures, including SDNN and RMSSD, are similar to those found in other studies comparing changes in HRV to levels of PM in ambient air, or from activities at home that produce PM, and they generally noted decreases in measures of HRV with increasing PM exposure (64–67). …”

Household air pollution and its effects on health

“…Oil used in cooking emits a significant amount of PAHs, which further add to the household air pollutants. Stir frying, a popular cooking style in Chinese cuisine, has been shown to emit particulate matter 9 ranging from 300 to 1,700 μg/m 3 .…”

“…Household air pollutant levels on account of stir-frying as a mode of cooking, especially in Chinese cuisines 8 , have been shown to decrease heart rate variability by 4.5%. Similarly, the use of detergents and cleaning products and the burning of incense are linked to decreased heart rate variability of 3.4% and 2.3%, respectively 9 .…”

Biomass fuel smoke exposure was associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and left ventricular dysfunction in Peru

“…Household air pollution exposure from biomass fuel use is associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hypertension prevalence, pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic biomarkers, endothelial dysfunction, heart rate variability, carotid intimal-medial thickness, and ST changes on electrocardiogram. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Fewer studies have examined the relationship between biomass fuel smoke exposure and clinical cardiovascular disease outcomes. Two studies in India and Pakistan found that exposure to biomass fuel smoke was associated with acute coronary syndrome and self-reported cardiovascular disease, 20,21 yet large cohort studies in Bangladesh and Iran found no association between household air pollution from biomass fuel use and cardiovascular-related mortality.…”