Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of short-term exposure to ultrafine and fine particles on systemic inflammation

  • ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 10 February 2011

Abstract

Daily to monthly variations in fine particulate matter have been linked to systemic inflammatory responses. It has been hypothesized that smaller particles resulting from combustion processes confer higher toxicity. We aim to analyze the association between short-term exposure to ultrafine and fine particles and systemic inflammation. We use baseline data (2000–2003) of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study, a population-based cohort study of 4,814 participants in the Ruhr Area in Germany. A chemistry transport model was applied to model daily surface concentrations of particulate air pollutants on a grid of 1 km2. Exposure included particle number (PN) and particulate matter mass concentration with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM10). Generalized additive models were used to explore the relation of air pollutants using single day lags and averaging times of up to 28 days with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). We adjusted for meteorology, season, time trend, and personal characteristics. Median hs-CRP level in the 3,999 included participants was 1.5 mg/l. Median daily concentration of PN was 8,414 × 104/ml (IQR 4,580 × 104/ml), of PM2.5 14.5 μg/m³ (IQR 11.5 μg/m³) and of PM10 18.5 μg/m³ (IQR 13.9 μg/m³). A positive association between PN and hs-CRP could be observed only for single day lags and for averaged PN concentrations with higher estimates for longer averaging times. The highest hs-CRP-increase of 7.1% (95%-CI: 1.9, 12.6%) was found for the 21-day average. These results support the hypothesis that short-term exposure to traffic-related particles might lead to detrimental cardiovascular health effects via an inflammatory mechanism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brook RD. Cardiovascular effects of air pollution. Clin Sci (Lond). 2008;115(6):175–87.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Donaldson K, Stone V, Seaton A, MacNee W. Ambient particle inhalation and the cardiovascular system: potential mechanisms. Environ Health Perspect. 2001;109:523–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Schwartz J. Air pollution and blood markers of cardiovascular risk. Environ Health Perspect. 2001;109(Suppl 3):405–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Delfino RJ, Staimer N, Tjoa T, Gillen DL, Polidori A, Arhami M, Kleinman MT, Vaziri ND, Longhurst J, Sioutas C. Air pollution exposures and circulating biomarkers of effect in a susceptible population: clues to potential causal component mixtures and mechanisms. Environ Health Perspect. 2009;117(8):1232–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Diez Roux AV, Auchincloss AH, Astor B, Barr RG, Cushman M, Dvonch T, et al. Recent exposure to particulate matter and C-reactive protein concentration in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164(5):437–48.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Steinvil A, Kordova-Biezuner L, Shapira I, Berliner S, Rogowski O. Short-term exposure to air pollution and inflammation-sensitive biomarkers. Environ Res. 2008;106(1):51–61.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Rückerl R, Ibald-Mulli A, Koenig W, Schneider A, Woelke G, Cyrys J, et al. Air pollution and markers of inflammation and coagulation in patients with coronary heart disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006;173(4):432–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Zeka A, Sullivan JR, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Schwartz J. Inflammatory markers and particulate air pollution: characterizing the pathway to disease. Int J Epidemiol. 2006;35(5):1347–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Diez Roux AV, Auchincloss AH, Franklin TG, Raghunathan T, Barr RG, Kaufman J, et al. Long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter and prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;167(6):667–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hoffmann B, Moebus S, Dragano N, Stang A, Möhlenkamp S, Schmermund A, Memmesheimer M, Bröcker-Preuss M, Mann K, Erbel R, Jöckel KH. Chronic residential exposure to particulate matter air pollution and systemic inflammatory markers. Environ Health Perspect. 2009;117(8):1302–8.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Forbes LJ, Patel MD, Rudnicka AR, Cook DG, Bush T, Stedman JR, Whincup PH, Strachan DP, Anderson RH. Chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution and markers of systemic inflammation. Epidemiology. 2009;20(2):245–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Delfino RJ, Sioutas C, Malik S. Potential role of ultrafine particles in associations between airborne particle mass and cardiovascular health. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(8):934–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Rückerl R, Phipps RP, Schneider A, Frampton M, Cyrys J, Oberdörster G, et al. Ultrafine particles and platelet activation in patients with coronary heart disease—results from a prospective panel study. Part Fibre Toxicol. 2007;4:1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Nemmar A, Al-Salam S, Zia S, Dhanasekaran S, Shudadevi M, Ali BH. Time-course effects of systemically administered diesel exhaust particles in rats. Toxicol Lett. 2010;194(3):58–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ridker PM, Silvertown JD. Inflammation, C-reactive protein, and atherothrombosis. J Periodontol. 2008;79(8 Suppl):1544–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Schmermund A, Möhlenkamp S, Stang A, Grönemeyer D, Seibel R, Hirche H, et al. Assessment of clinically silent atherosclerotic disease and established and novel risk factors for predicting myocardial infarction and cardiac death in healthy middle-aged subjects: rationale and design of the Heinz Nixdorf RECALL Study. Am Heart J. 2002;144(2):212–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Ebel A, Memmesheimer M, Jakobs HJ, Feldmann H. Advanced air pollution models and their application to risk and impact assessment, 83-92. Air, water and soil quality modelling for risk and impact assessment. Netherlands: Springer; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Schell B, Ackermann IJ, Hass H, Binkowski FS, Ebel A. Modeling the formation of secondary organic aerosol within a comprehensive air quality model system. J Geophys Res. 2001;106(D22):275–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hastie TJ, Tibshirani RJ. Generalized additive models. London: Chapman and Hall; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Wood SN. mgcv: GAMs and generalized ridge regression for R. R News. 2001;1:20–5.

    Google Scholar 

  21. R Development Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria; 2009.

  22. Panasevich S, Leander K, Rosenlund M, Ljungman P, Bellander T, de Faire U, Pershagen G, Nyberg F. Associations of long- and short-term air pollution exposure with markers of inflammation and coagulation in a population sample. Occup Environ Med. 2009;66(11):747–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Bellander T, Berglind N, Gustavsson P, Jonson T, Nyberg F, Pershagen G, Järup L. Using geographic information systems to assess individual historical exposure to air pollution from traffic and house heating in Stockholm. Environ Health Perspect. 2001;109(6):633–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Delfino RJ, Staimer N, Tjoa T, Polidori A, Arhami M, Gillen DL, Kleinman MT, Vaziri ND, Longhurst J, Zaldivar F, Sioutas C. Circulating biomarkers of inflammation, antioxidant activity, and platelet activation are associated with primary combustion aerosols in subjects with coronary artery disease. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116(7):898–906.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Dubowsky SD, Suh H, Schwartz J, Coull BA, Gold DR. Diabetes, obesity, and hypertension may enhance associations between air pollution and markers of systemic inflammation. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(7):992–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Seaton A, Soutar A, Crawford V, Elton R, McNerlan S, Cherrie J, et al. Particulate air pollution and the blood. Thorax. 1999;54(11):1027–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhu Y, Hinds WC, Kim S, Sioutas C. Concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles near a major highway. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2002;52(9):1032–42.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Kuhlbusch TA, Neumann S, Fissan H. Number size distribution, mass concentration, and particle composition of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 in bag filling areas of carbon black production. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2004;1(10):660–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Erbel R, Möhlenkamp S, Lehmann N, Schmermund A, Moebus S, Stang A, Grönemeyer D, Seibel R, Mann K, Volbracht L, Dragano N, Siegrist J, Jöckel KH. Sex related cardiovascular risk stratification based on quantification of atherosclerosis and inflammation. Atherosclerosis. 2008;197:662–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation (Chairman: Dr. Jur. G. Schmidt) for their generous support of this study. This study is also supported by the German Ministry of Education and Science. We thank K. Lauterbach (Department of Health Economics and Epidemiology, University of Cologne, Germany) for his valuable contribution to the study. We are indebted to the investigative group and the study personnel of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study, in particular EM Beck, IMIBE, Dr. M. Bröcker-Preuss from the Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Advisory board: T. Meinerz, Hamburg (Chair); M.Blettner, Mainz; C. Bode, Freiburg; P. J. de Feyter, Rotterdam, Zürich, Niederlande; B. Güntert, Hall i.T., Schweiz; F. Gutzwiller, Schweiz; H. Heinen, Bonn; O. Hess, Bern, Schweiz; B. Klein, Essen; H. Löwel, Neuherberg; M.Reiser, München; G. Schmidt, Essen; M. Schwaiger, München; C. Steinmüller, Bonn; T. Theorell, Stockholm, Schweden; S. N. Willich, Berlin. Criteria and end point committee: C. Bode, Freiburg (Chair), K.Berger, Münster; H. R. Figulla, Jena; C. Hamm, Bad Nauheim; P. Hanrath, Aachen; W. Köpcke, Münster; C. Weimar, Essen; A. Zeiher, Frankfurt. We also thank the North Rhine-Westphalia State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection for providing emission data for North Rhine-Westphalia. Funded by DFG JO 170/8-1.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45122, Essen, Germany

    Sabine Hertel, Anja Viehmann, Susanne Moebus, Michael Nonnemacher, Karl-Heinz Jöckel & Barbara Hoffmann

  2. Rhenish Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Hermann Jakobs & Michael Memmesheimer

  3. West German Heart Centre of Essen, University Duisburg- Essen, Duisburg, Essen, Germany

    Stefan Möhlenkamp & Raimund Erbel

  4. Department of Endocrinology and Division of Laboratory Research, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany

    Klaus Mann & Martina Bröcker-Preuss

  5. University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Essen, Germany

    Sabine Hertel

Authors
  1. Sabine Hertel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anja Viehmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Susanne Moebus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Klaus Mann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Martina Bröcker-Preuss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Stefan Möhlenkamp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Michael Nonnemacher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Raimund Erbel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Hermann Jakobs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Michael Memmesheimer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Karl-Heinz Jöckel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Barbara Hoffmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sabine Hertel.

Additional information

This study is conducted on behalf of the Investigator Group of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9550-0

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4 and 5.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hertel, S., Viehmann, A., Moebus, S. et al. Influence of short-term exposure to ultrafine and fine particles on systemic inflammation. Eur J Epidemiol 25, 581–592 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9477-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9477-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation