title: Air Pollution from Road Traffic and Systemic Inflammation in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the European ESCAPE Project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exposure to particulate matter air pollution (PM) has been associated with cardiovascular diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study we evaluated whether annual exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with systemic inflammation, which is hypothesized to be an intermediate step to cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six cohorts of adults from Central and Northern Europe were used in this cross-sectional study as part of the larger ESCAPE project (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects). Data on levels of blood markers for systemic inflammation-high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen-were available for 22,561 and 17,428 persons, respectively. Land use regression models were used to estimate cohort participants' long-term exposure to various size fractions of PM, soot, and nitrogen oxides (NOx). In addition, traffic intensity on the closest street and traffic load within 100 m from home were used as indicators of traffic air pollution exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Particulate air pollution was not associated with systemic inflammation. However, cohort participants living on a busy (> 10,000 vehicles/day) road had elevated CRP values (10.2%; 95% CI: 2.4, 18.8%, compared with persons living on a quiet residential street with < 1,000 vehicles/day). Annual NOx concentration was also positively associated with levels of CRP (3.2%; 95% CI: 0.3, 6.1 per 20 μg/m3), but the effect estimate was more sensitive to model adjustments. For fibrinogen, no consistent associations were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Living close to busy traffic was associated with increased CRP concentrations, a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, it remains unclear which specific air pollutants are responsible for the association.
authors: Department of Health Protection, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland.
authors: Timo
authors: T
authors: Lanki
authors: Regina
authors: R
authors: Hampel
authors: Pekka
authors: P
authors: Tiittanen
authors: Silke
authors: S
authors: Andrich
authors: Rob
authors: R
authors: Beelen
authors: Bert
authors: B
authors: Brunekreef
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Dratva
authors: Ulf
authors: U
authors: De Faire
authors: Kateryna B
authors: KB
authors: Fuks
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Hoffmann
authors: Medea
authors: M
authors: Imboden
authors: Pekka
authors: P
authors: Jousilahti
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Koenig
authors: Amir A
authors: AA
authors: Mahabadi
authors: Nino
authors: N
authors: Künzli
authors: Nancy L
authors: NL
authors: Pedersen
authors: Johanna
authors: J
authors: Penell
authors: Göran
authors: G
authors: Pershagen
authors: Nicole M
authors: NM
authors: Probst-Hensch
authors: Emmanuel
authors: E
authors: Schaffner
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Schindler
authors: Dorothea
authors: D
authors: Sugiri
authors: Wim J R
authors: WJ
authors: Swart
authors: Ming-Yi
authors: MY
authors: Tsai
authors: Anu W
authors: AW
authors: Turunen
authors: Gudrun
authors: G
authors: Weinmayr
authors: Kathrin
authors: K
authors: Wolf
authors: Tarja
authors: T
authors: Yli-Tuomi
authors: Annette
authors: A
authors: Peters
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000633:toxicity; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity; D012044:Regression Analysis; D053260:Soot / Q000633:toxicity; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D052638:Particulate Matter; D053260:Soot; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein