Responses to Exposure to Low Levels of Concentrated Ambient Particles in Healthy Young Adults

Air pollution is associated with several adverse health outcomes. Specifically, ambient fine particulate matter ≤2.5 μg/m3 (PM2.5) is associated with increased mortality and increased risk for respiratory and cardiovascular disease It has been estimated that worldwide over 3.2 million premature deaths and over 74 million years of healthy life lost were attributable to ambient particulate matter pollution, making it one of the top global health risk factors . Further, an estimated 22% of disability-adjusted life-years for heart disease are attributable to ambient particulate matter pollution. Similarly, it is estimated that air pollution exposure contributed to about 6% (3.7 million) of all deaths in 2012, with 40% of those coming from coronary artery disease (CAD). More than 100 time-series and case-crossover analyses have demonstrated associations of short term PM2.5 exposure with myocardial infarctions (MIs); aggravated asthma and increased risk for hospitalizations and mortality. These studies suggest that the acute health effects of air pollution particularly affect infants and children, older adults, and those with underlying disease, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Pope, 2014). In healthy and younger individuals (<65 year old) these same studies observe associations between air pollution and subclinical biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation and oxidative stress but not for any clinical outcomes. This has led the American Heart Association to state that" Despite theoretical statistical risks ascribed to all individuals, this elevated risk from exposure is not equally distributed within a population. At present-day levels, PM2.5 likely poses an acute threat principally to susceptible people, even if seemingly healthy, such as the elderly and those with (unrecognized) existing coronary artery or structural heart disease."

Controlled human exposure studies are a critical component of the health risk assessment for ozone because of their ability to establish exposure-response relationships at low doses and have therefore weighed heavily in deliberations when the U.S. EPA has considered the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). In contrast, for PM2.5, controlled exposure studies have been used primarily to demonstrate biological plausibility. that is the potential for particulate matter to exert extra-pulmonary effects. These studies have shown that healthy volunteers primarily exhibit mild pulmonary inflammation, decreases in heart rate variability and changes in blood factors associated with blood coagulation following exposure to concentrated air particles (CAPs), most show no change in lung function and none result in cardiac arrhythmia. Nearly all these studies have been conducted at realistic but high levels of PM2.5 (typically above 100 µg/m3). Currently the EPA 24-hour fine particle standard is 35µg/m3, a value based predominantly on epidemiologic studies. While epidemiologic studies suggest that similar effects can occur at lower levels, it is difficult for these association studies to conclusively demonstrate because of the problems in disassociating the effects of PM2.5 from other pollutants and confounders. Only a controlled human exposure study can determine directly whether PM2.5 can alter cardiovascular endpoints at lower concentrations. Four hours represents a typical exposure duration to particulate matter during the course of the day.