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 = "BioMed Central Ltd",

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 - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85032958174

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 -