Abstract
Air pollutants are substances in the air that have harmful effects on humans and the ecological environment. Although slight elevations in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are commonly observed in apparently healthy persons, potential associations between CEA levels and chronic low-grade inflammation induced by air pollution have yet to be documented. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study to estimate the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and the CEA. A total of 9728 participants from health examinations were enrolled for the analysis and linked with their residential air pollutant data including ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM10). The results showed that every increase of 1 ppm O3 significantly increased the mean differences of the CEA blood concentration by 0.005 ng/mL. Each increase of 1 ppm CO significantly reduced the mean differences of the CEA blood concentration by 0.455 ng/mL. Although smoking and alcohol drinking also increased the CEA levels, with adjustment of these confounders we identified a significant association between serum CEA in the general population and levels of the air pollutants O3 and CO. In conclusion, the serum CEA concentrations and short-term air pollutants O3 and CO exposure were found to have a significant relationship; however, its mechanism is still unclear. Moreover, long-term air pollution exposure and changes in CEA concentration still need to be further evaluated.
Highlights
Introduction distributed under the terms andAir pollutants are substances in the air that have harmful effects on humans and the ecological environment
We found that serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were associated with air pollutants, which showed that every increase of 1 ppm O3 would significantly increase the mean differences of the serum CEA concentration by 0.005 ng/mL
Our results support the possibility that serum CEA levels were closely related to subclinical low-grade inflammation that would be induced by air pollution
Summary
Air pollutants are substances in the air that have harmful effects on humans and the ecological environment. The substances have various forms, which can be particles, droplets, or gases; they can be formed naturally or produced by human [1]. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly but are formed in the air when the main pollutants undergo reactions or interactions. Low-level ground ozone (O3 ) is an example of secondary pollutants. Due to the influence of industrial and automobile exhaust gas, the photochemical smog produced by nitrogen dioxide in the exhaust of steam and locomotives, ground O3 formed by NOx and volatile organic compounds through photochemical reaction, forms and accumulates on the surface, and the O3 in the lower air is called for a harmful zone [1,2]
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