Short-Term Cumulative Exposure to Ambient Traffic-Related Black Carbon and Blood Pressure: MMDA Traffic Enforcers’ Health Study

Zypher Jude G Regencia,Antonio D Ligsay,Godofreda V Dalmacion,Emmanuel S Baja

doi:10.3390/ijerph182212122

Abstract

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution is linked with acute alterations in blood pressure (BP). We examined the cumulative short-term effect of black carbon (BC) exposure on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP and assessed effect modification by participant characteristics. SBP and DBP were repeatedly measured on 152 traffic enforcers. Using a linear mixed-effects model with random intercepts, quadratic (QCDL) and cubic (CCDL) constrained distributed lag models were fitted to estimate the cumulative effect of BC concentration on SBP and DBP during the 10 hours (daily exposure) and 7 days (weekly exposure) before the BP measurement. Ambient BC was related to increased BP with QCDL models. An interquartile range change in BC cumulative during the 7 days before the BP measurement was associated with increased BP (1.2% change in mean SBP, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1 to 2.3; and 0.5% change in mean DBP, 95% CI, −0.8 to 1.7). Moreover, the association between the 10-h cumulative BC exposure and SBP was stronger for female (4.0% change, 95% CI: 2.1–5.9) versus male and for obese (2.9% change, 95% CI: 1.0–4.8) vs. non-obese traffic enforcers. Short-term cumulative exposure to ambient traffic-related BC could bring about cardiovascular diseases through mechanisms involving increased BP.

Highlights

It is estimated that about 4.2 million people yearly across the world die from air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and over 90% of people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants [1,2]
Our study examined the association between acute cumulative exposure to black carbon (BC) and blood pressure (BP), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP, among urban traffic enforcers stationed along a major circumferential highway in Metro
Five hundred and seventy valid BP and BC measurements available for analysis were collected from 152 eligible Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic enforcer participants

Summary

Introduction

It is estimated that about 4.2 million people yearly across the world die from air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and over 90% of people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants [1,2]. Exposure reduction to air pollution has an essential impact on global public health since the adverse health effects of air pollution are usually driven through their detrimental impact on cardiovascular health [3]. Counties are confronting significant public health and climate crises brought about by air pollution, which prompted the WHO to update the existing guidelines on air pollution in September 2021. The ambient air pollution components are classified into three main groups: (1) gases (e.g., NOx, CO, and O3 ); (2) volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and (3) suspended solid and liquid particles that are called particulate matters

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Discussion

Conclusion