Particulate matter, traffic-related air pollutants, and circulating C-reactive protein levels: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Inhaled particles and gases can harm health by promoting chronic inflammation in the body. Few studies have investigated the relationship between outdoor air pollution and inflammation by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle risk factors. We examined associations of particulate matter (PM) and other markers of traffic-related air pollution with circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of systemic inflammation. CRP was measured from blood samples obtained in 1994–2016 from 7860 California residents participating in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study. Exposure to PM (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm [PM₂.₅, ≤10 μm [PM₁₀], and between 2.5 and 10 μm [PM₁₀₋₂.₅]), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ, including nitrogen dioxide [NO₂]), carbon monoxide (CO), ground-level ozone (O₃), and benzene averaged over one or twelve months before blood draw were estimated based on participants’ addresses. Percent change in geometric mean CRP levels and 95% confidence intervals (CI) per standard concentration increase of each pollutant were estimated using multivariable generalized linear regression. Among 4305 females (55%) and 3555 males (45%) (mean age 68.1 [SD 7.5] years at blood draw), CRP levels increased with 12-month exposure to PM₁₀ (11.0%, 95% CI: 4.2%, 18.2% per 10 μg/m³), PM₁₀₋₂.₅ (12.4%, 95% CI: 1.4%, 24.5% per 10 μg/m³), NOₓ (10.4%, 95% CI: 2.2%, 19.2% per 50 ppb), and benzene (2.9%, 95% CI: 1.1%, 4.6% per 1 ppb). In subgroup analyses, these associations were observed in Latino participants, those who lived in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, overweight or obese participants, and never or former smokers. No consistent patterns were found for 1-month pollutant exposures. This investigation identified associations of primarily traffic-related air pollutants, including PM, NOₓ, and benzene, with CRP in a multiethnic population. The diversity of the MEC across demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors allowed us to explore the generalizability of effects of air pollution on inflammation across subgroups.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121962
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123009648
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/02697491
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Sangaramoorthy, Meera
  • Yang, Juan
  • 0000-0002-2291-7907
  • Tseng, Chiuchen
  • Wu, Jun
  • 0000-0002-2693-7112
  • Ritz, Beate
  • 0000-0001-6976-7339
  • Larson, Timothy V
  • Fruin, Scott
  • Stram, Daniel O
  • Park, Sung-shim Lani
  • Franke, Adrian A
  • Wilkens, Lynne R
  • Samet, Jonathan M
  • Le Marchand, Loïc
  • Shariff-Marco, Salma
  • 0000-0002-2541-3333
  • Haiman, Christopher A
  • Wu, Anna H
  • Cheng, Iona
  • 0000-0002-6839-3192
• Publication Date: 2023-9-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 121962
• Serial:
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Volume: 332
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier Publishing Company, Limited
  • ISSN: 0269-7491
  • Serial URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-pollution

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Benzene; Demographics; Ethnic groups; Exhaust gases; Nitrogen oxides; Particulates
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01885174
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 20 2023 10:09AM