title: Association of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide with acute cardiovascular effects.
abstract: This study evaluated whether exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is associated with cardiovascular effects by examining a panel of 89 healthy subjects in Taipei, Taiwan. The subjects received two health examinations approximately 8months apart in 2013. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a physiological indicator of arterial stiffness, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a biomarker of vascular inflammations, were measured during each examination. Two exposure assessment methods were used for estimating the subjects' exposure to PM2.5 and NO2. The first method involved constructing daily land use regression (LUR) models according to measurements collected at ambient air quality monitoring stations. The second method required combining the LUR estimates with indoor monitoring data at the workplace of the subjects. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between the exposure estimates and health outcomes. The results showed that a 10-μg/m(3) increase in PM2.5 concentration at a 1-day lag was associated with 2.1% (95% confidence interval: 0.7%-3.6%) and 2.4% (0.8%-4.0%) increases in baPWV based on the two exposure assessment methods, whereas no significant association was observed for NO2. The significant effects of PM2.5 remained in the two-pollutant models. By contrast, NO2, but not PM2.5, was significantly associated with increased hsCRP levels (16.0%-37.3% in single-pollutant models and 26.4%-44.6% in two-pollutant models, per 10-ppb increase in NO2). In conclusion, arterial stiffness might be more sensitive to short-term PM2.5 exposure than is inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: changfu@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chang-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Hui
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Experimental Forest, National Taiwan University, Nantou, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.affiliation: The Experimental Forest, National Taiwan University, Nantou, Taiwan; The School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Jer
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chu-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Shiang
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Health Policy and Management, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sandy Huey-Jen
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kai-Jen
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Charles C K
authors.initials: CCK
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: The Experimental Forest, National Taiwan University, Nantou, Taiwan; The School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: tachensu@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ta-Chen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
keywords: Air pollution; Arterial stiffness; Cardiovascular; Inflammation; Land use regression