Short-term air pollution exposure decreases lung function: A repeated measures study in healthy adults

Luc Int Panis; Eline B. Provost; Bianca Cox; Tijs Louwies; Michelle Laeremans; Arnout Standaert; Evi Dons; Luc Holmstock; Tim Nawrot; Patrick De Boever

doi:10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z

Short-term air pollution exposure decreases lung function: A repeated measures study in healthy adults

Luc Int Panis, Eline B. Provost, Bianca Cox, Tijs Louwies, Michelle Laeremans, Arnout Standaert, Evi Dons, Luc Holmstock, Tim Nawrot, Patrick De Boever

Research output › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Daily changes in ambient concentrations of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone are associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, with the lungs and their function being a vulnerable target.

METHODS: To evaluate the association between daily changes in air pollution and lung function in healthy adults we obtained annual lung function measurements from a routine worker health surveillance program not designed for research purposes. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and Peak Expiratory flow (PEF) from a cohort of 2449 employees were associated with daily measurements of PM10, NO2 and ozone at a nearby monitoring station in the North of Belgium. Repeated measures were available for the period 2011-2015.

RESULTS: The mean (SD) PM10 concentration on the day of the lung function test was 24.9 (15.5) μg/m3. A 10 μg PM10/m3 increase on the day of the clinical examination was associated with a 18.9 ml lower FVC (95% CI: -27.5 to -10.3, p < 0.0001), 12.8 ml lower FEV1 (-19.1 to -6.5; p < 0.0001), and a 51.4 ml/s lower PEF (-75.0 to -27.0; p < 0.0001). The FEV1/FVC-ratio showed no associations. An increase of 10 μgNO2/m3 was associated with a reduction in PEF (-66.1 ml/s (-106.6 to -25.6; p < 0.001)) on the day of the examination.

CONCLUSIONS: We found negative associations between daily variations in ambient air pollution and FVC, FEV1 and PEF in healthy adults.

Original language	English
Article number	60
Number of pages	7
Journal	Environmental health : a global access science source
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z
State	Published - Jun 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Access to Document

10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z

Cite this

@article{61610261044e4154aa7c6fda81704980,

title = "Short-term air pollution exposure decreases lung function: A repeated measures study in healthy adults",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Daily changes in ambient concentrations of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone are associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, with the lungs and their function being a vulnerable target.METHODS: To evaluate the association between daily changes in air pollution and lung function in healthy adults we obtained annual lung function measurements from a routine worker health surveillance program not designed for research purposes. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and Peak Expiratory flow (PEF) from a cohort of 2449 employees were associated with daily measurements of PM10, NO2 and ozone at a nearby monitoring station in the North of Belgium. Repeated measures were available for the period 2011-2015.RESULTS: The mean (SD) PM10 concentration on the day of the lung function test was 24.9 (15.5) μg/m3. A 10 μg PM10/m3 increase on the day of the clinical examination was associated with a 18.9 ml lower FVC (95% CI: -27.5 to -10.3, p < 0.0001), 12.8 ml lower FEV1 (-19.1 to -6.5; p < 0.0001), and a 51.4 ml/s lower PEF (-75.0 to -27.0; p < 0.0001). The FEV1/FVC-ratio showed no associations. An increase of 10 μgNO2/m3 was associated with a reduction in PEF (-66.1 ml/s (-106.6 to -25.6; p < 0.001)) on the day of the examination.CONCLUSIONS: We found negative associations between daily variations in ambient air pollution and FVC, FEV1 and PEF in healthy adults.",

keywords = "Air pollution, FEV1, Fvc, Ozone, Particulate matter, Pef, PM10, Respiratory health, Spirometry",

author = "{Int Panis}, Luc and Provost, {Eline B.} and Bianca Cox and Tijs Louwies and Michelle Laeremans and Arnout Standaert and Evi Dons and Luc Holmstock and Tim Nawrot and {De Boever}, Patrick",

year = "2017",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "Environmental health : a global access science source",

issn = "1476-069X",

publisher = "BMC (Part of Springer Nature)",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Short-term air pollution exposure decreases lung function

T2 - A repeated measures study in healthy adults

AU - Int Panis, Luc

AU - Provost, Eline B.

AU - Cox, Bianca

AU - Louwies, Tijs

AU - Laeremans, Michelle

AU - Standaert, Arnout

AU - Dons, Evi

AU - Holmstock, Luc

AU - Nawrot, Tim

AU - De Boever, Patrick

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - BACKGROUND: Daily changes in ambient concentrations of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone are associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, with the lungs and their function being a vulnerable target.METHODS: To evaluate the association between daily changes in air pollution and lung function in healthy adults we obtained annual lung function measurements from a routine worker health surveillance program not designed for research purposes. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and Peak Expiratory flow (PEF) from a cohort of 2449 employees were associated with daily measurements of PM10, NO2 and ozone at a nearby monitoring station in the North of Belgium. Repeated measures were available for the period 2011-2015.RESULTS: The mean (SD) PM10 concentration on the day of the lung function test was 24.9 (15.5) μg/m3. A 10 μg PM10/m3 increase on the day of the clinical examination was associated with a 18.9 ml lower FVC (95% CI: -27.5 to -10.3, p < 0.0001), 12.8 ml lower FEV1 (-19.1 to -6.5; p < 0.0001), and a 51.4 ml/s lower PEF (-75.0 to -27.0; p < 0.0001). The FEV1/FVC-ratio showed no associations. An increase of 10 μgNO2/m3 was associated with a reduction in PEF (-66.1 ml/s (-106.6 to -25.6; p < 0.001)) on the day of the examination.CONCLUSIONS: We found negative associations between daily variations in ambient air pollution and FVC, FEV1 and PEF in healthy adults.

AB - BACKGROUND: Daily changes in ambient concentrations of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone are associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, with the lungs and their function being a vulnerable target.METHODS: To evaluate the association between daily changes in air pollution and lung function in healthy adults we obtained annual lung function measurements from a routine worker health surveillance program not designed for research purposes. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and Peak Expiratory flow (PEF) from a cohort of 2449 employees were associated with daily measurements of PM10, NO2 and ozone at a nearby monitoring station in the North of Belgium. Repeated measures were available for the period 2011-2015.RESULTS: The mean (SD) PM10 concentration on the day of the lung function test was 24.9 (15.5) μg/m3. A 10 μg PM10/m3 increase on the day of the clinical examination was associated with a 18.9 ml lower FVC (95% CI: -27.5 to -10.3, p < 0.0001), 12.8 ml lower FEV1 (-19.1 to -6.5; p < 0.0001), and a 51.4 ml/s lower PEF (-75.0 to -27.0; p < 0.0001). The FEV1/FVC-ratio showed no associations. An increase of 10 μgNO2/m3 was associated with a reduction in PEF (-66.1 ml/s (-106.6 to -25.6; p < 0.001)) on the day of the examination.CONCLUSIONS: We found negative associations between daily variations in ambient air pollution and FVC, FEV1 and PEF in healthy adults.

KW - Air pollution

KW - FEV1

KW - Fvc

KW - Ozone

KW - Particulate matter

KW - Pef

KW - PM10

KW - Respiratory health

KW - Spirometry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032958174&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z

DO - 10.1186/s12940-017-0271-z

M3 - Article

C2 - 28615020

AN - SCOPUS:85032958174

SN - 1476-069X

VL - 16

JO - Environmental health : a global access science source

JF - Environmental health : a global access science source

IS - 1

M1 - 60

ER -