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Exposure to concentrated coarse air pollution particles causes mild cardiopulmonary effects in young healthy adults
Citation:
GRAFF, D., W. CASCIO, H. Zhou, Y. T. HUANG, AND R. B. DEVLIN. Exposure to concentrated coarse air pollution particles causes mild cardiopulmonary effects in young healthy adults. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, 117(7):1089-1094, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
research results
Description:
Rationale: There is ample epidemiological and toxicological evidence that exposure to fme air pollution particles (PM2.5), which are primarily derived from combustion processes, can result in increased mortality and morbidity. There is less certainty as to the contribution of coarse particles (PM2.5-lo), which are derived from crustal materials and by mechanical processes, to mortality and morbidity. Objectives and Methods: To determine whether coarse PM causes cardiopulmonary effects, we exposed healthy young volunteers to coarse concentrated ambient particles (CAPS) and filtered air. Volunteers were exposed to coarse CAPS and filtered air for two hours while undergoing intermittent exercise in a single-blind, cross-over study. Pulmonary, cardiac, and hematological endpoints were measured before exposure, immediately after exposure, and again 24 hours after exposure. Results: Compared to filtered air exposure, coarse CAPS exposure produced a small increase in polyrnorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid 20 hours post-exposure, indicative of mild pulmonary inflammation. No changes were observed in pulmonary function. Blood tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which is involved in fibrinolysis, was decreased 24 hours after exposure. SDNN, a measure of overall heart rate variability was also decreased 24 hours after exposure to CAPS. Conclusions: Coarse CAPS exposure produces a mild physiologic response in healthy young volunteers approximately 20 hours post-exposure. These changes are similar in scope and magnitude to changes we and others have previously reported for volunteers exposed to fine CAPS, suggesting that both size fractions are comparable at inducing cardiopulmonary changes in acute exposure settings.
