The Association of White Blood Cells and Air Pollutants—A Population-Based Study

Abstract

The links of air pollutants to health hazards have been revealed in literature and inflammation responses might play key roles in the processes of diseases. WBC count is one of the indexes of inflammation, however the literature reveals inconsistent opinions on the relationship between WBC counts and exposure to air pollutants. The goal of this population-based observational study was to examine the associations between multiple air pollutants and WBC counts. This study recruited community subjects from Kaohsiung city. WBC count, demographic and health hazard habit data were collected. Meanwhile, air pollutants data (SO2, NO2, CO, PM10, and O3) were also obtained. Both datasets were merged for statistical analysis. Single- and multiple-pollutants models were adopted for the analysis. A total of 10,140 adults (43.2% males; age range, 33~86 years old) were recruited. Effects of short-term ambient concentrations (within one week) of CO could increase counts of WBC, neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. However, SO2 could decrease counts of WBC, neutrophils, and monocytes. Gender, BMI, and smoking could also contribute to WBC count increases, though their effects are minor when compared to CO. Air pollutants, particularly SO2, NO2 and CO, may thus be related to alterations of WBC counts, and this would imply air pollution has an impact on human systematic inflammation.

Association between air pollution and CSF sTREM2 in cognitively normal older adults: The CABLE study

“…Past studies showed that PM exposure was accompanied by elevated immune cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which implied an increased inflammatory burden in the lungs, but the evidence for the inflammatory response in the circulatory system was inconsistent. Two studies showed partly consistent results for PM 2.5 53 and NO 2, 54 the reduction of inflammation levels in these studies might be explained by the movement of immune cells from the bloodstream to stressed tissues such as the lungs.…”

Lifestyle and environmental factors may induce airway and systemic inflammation in firefighters

“…Therefore, it was suggested that the increase in the number of these cells may be due to a rather non-specific response to physical stress / exercise rather than exposure to smoke (Swiston et al 2008 ). However, the relationship between air pollution and white blood cell counts, and hence its possible impact on the systemic inflammatory response, was also confirmed in a study examined of over 10,000 Taiwanese people (Hung et al 2021 ). On the other hand, an increase in the concentration of IL-6, IL-8, and the count of immature neutrophils was observed only after smoke exposure, suggesting the development of an exposure-induced systemic inflammation (Swiston et al 2008 ).…”

Hematological, cholesterolemic and clinical profile in exposed to outdoor air pollution linked to the incineration of biomedical waste in Benin

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