Inflammation Describes and Explains the Adverse Effects of Aerosol Optical Depth-Particulate Matter on Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Literature Review Since 2012

Abstract

The success of remote sensing methodology to accurately estimate ambient particulate matter (PM) on the earth’s surface has resulted in the increased use of aerosol optical depth (AOD) AOD-PM 10 , AOD-PM 2.5 and AOD-PM 1 concentration level fused surfaces in cardiovascular epidemiologic and hypothesis-testing of inflammatory physiologic studies. Uniform space-time AOD-PM concentration level fused surfaces have been used as proxies for ambient PM monitor measurements in economically developed and developing counties as well as in densely populated urban regions with on-the-ground ambient PM monitors and in sparsely populated rural areas without ambient PM air monitors to determine the contribution of PM exposure to the subsequent occurrence of cardiovascular chronic diseases and circulatory-related adverse health outcomes. Since 2012, 45 published studies have evaluated the association between increased AOD-PM concentration level readings and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Fifteen surveillance studies used inflammation as a descriptive physiologic mechanism and another nine publications mentioned another description. In contrast, another 20 investigations have used the inflammatory physiologic mechanism to explain how AOD-PM exposure changes the cardiovascular system and other organs connected to the cardiovascular system through the circulatory system and one report referred to some other explanation. The full extent of the adverse effects of AOD-PM exposure on the cardiovascular system only becomes evident when cardiovascular and other pathophysiological changes are also considered and evaluated. This review paper aims to demonstrate why AOD-PM and cardiovascular system studies are a new and useful source of information about how ambient PM exposure adversely impacts the cardiovascular system in diverse populations in different countries.