IntroductionAmbient Particulate Matter and the Risk for Cardiovascular Disease☆
Section snippets
Anthropogenic particles
The major source of anthropogenic ambient PM in urban areas is the combustion of fossil fuels either from mobile sources (eg, diesel- and gasoline-fired light or heavy duty vehicles) or stationary sources (eg, home heating, power plants, and industry).11, 12, 13, 14
Primary particles are directly formed during the combustion processes and are liquids or solids in the size range <30 nm.15 Upon release from the source, the primary particles rapidly grow into accumulation mode particles ranging
The fate of particles in the respiratory tract
The primary point of entry for PM is the respiratory tract. Their aerodynamic behavior governs their fate in the respiratory system.16, 17, 18 Particles with a diameter smaller than 10 μm are inhaled, and a proportion of them are deposited in the upper and lower airways.19 Particles smaller than 2.5 μm can penetrate into the lung and reach the alveolar space. Correspondingly, PM smaller than 10 μm (PM10) or 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is routinely assessed in air monitoring and reported as μg/m3.
The size of
Particle characteristics and biologic responses
The biologic responses to ambient PM vary by size and chemical composition.20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Critical properties of the particles are the surface area and their oxidative stress potential both being related to higher biologic activity and the induction of oxidative stress in their immediate surroundings. In addition, high soot content as well as high concentrations of bioavailable transition metals have been found to increase the biologic activity of the particles. These properties are
The scientific statement of the American Heart Association
In 2004, the first American Heart Association scientific statement on “Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease” concluded that exposure to PM air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.8 Thereafter, numerous studies have expanded the understanding of this association and further elucidated the physiologic and molecular mechanisms involved, which were summarized in an updated American Heart Association scientific statement in 2010.7 The writing group provided expert
Novel aspects of air pollution and cardiovascular disease research
An area of intensive research is the establishment of the association between ambient air pollution concentrations and incident cardiovascular disease. Data from the Women Health Initiative, investigating the association between annual average PM2.5 concentration and incident coronary heart disease in women by Miller et al,39 found evidence for associations both with nonfatal and fatal coronary heart disease. Although animal models have demonstrated the potential of ambient PM to promote
Conclusion
This issue of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases integrates summaries of existing evidence for the association between ambient PM and cardiovascular disease and highlights areas of ongoing research. It deliberately chose to focus on ambient particulate air pollution because this was the main focus of research activities that have promoted the more stringent standards and implementation of control measures in recent years. Interaction between gas- and particle-phase anthropogenic air pollutants
Statement of Conflict of Interest
The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.
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Cited by (25)
Scale-dependent effects of urban greenspace on particulate matter air pollution
2021, Urban Forestry and Urban GreeningCitation Excerpt :PM2.5 and PM10 are major pollutants that threaten human health, decrease visibility, and affect regional and global climate (Li et al., 2017). PM pollution has been linked to dramatic increases in cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, increased mortality rates (Morelli et al., 2016; Peters, 2011), and problems in pregnancy and child development (Lavigne et al., 2016; Gehring et al., 2014). Globally, fossil fuel combustion (including vehicle exhaust), fugitive dust, and biomass burning are key drivers of PM pollution (Yu et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2016; Jin et al., 2015; Nayebare et al., 2017; van Pinxteren et al., 2016; Pokorná et al., 2015).
Can atmospheric pollutants influence menstrual cycle function?
2020, Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :Atmospheric pollution is a mixture of thousands of compounds present in gaseous, liquid or solid forms. Several of its constituents, and specifically particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), have demonstrated toxicological effects, such as oxidative stress, induction of chronic inflammation (Peters, 2011) and endocrine disrupting properties (Simon et al., 2017; van Drooge et al., 2017). Since a fraction of inhaled atmospheric pollutants can reach the brain, the blood circulation, the placenta, ovaries and testes or other organs, such mechanisms may entail possible effects on reproductive function.
The effect of dust storm particles on single human lung cancer cells
2020, Environmental ResearchCitation Excerpt :Their type, size and concentration define air quality, and they can be suspended over long times and travel over long distances (Almeida-Silva et al., 2013; Kim et al., 2015). A large number of epidemiological studies demonstrated that large amounts of aerosol particles (Particulate Matter, PM) correlate with the number of daily deaths and hospitalizations, most likely as a result of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases (Peters, 2011; Karanasiou et al., 2012; Di et al., 2017). According to Cohen et al. (2004), PM are responsible for approximately 1.4% of deaths worldwide.
Gene expression profiles and bioinformatics analysis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to PM<inf>2.5</inf>
2017, ChemosphereCitation Excerpt :PM2.5 (particulate matter < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter), also called fine particles, is recommended as the indicator of air particle pollution by WHO (2006). PM2.5 can penetrate deeper into the lungs than larger particles and may be largely responsible for the health problems linked to air pollution (Brook et al., 2010; Peters, 2011). Epidemiological studies suggest that long-term exposure to a 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5, generally results to a no less than 10% increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (Dabass et al., 2016).
Association of exposure to particulate matter (PM<inf>2.5</inf>) air pollution and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in adult NHANES participants (2001-2008)
2016, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental HealthCitation Excerpt :Particles <10 μm in diameter (PM10) have primarily been used as an exposure metric of particulate air pollution in previous studies (Schwartz, 2001). However, fine particles, defined as <2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), have a smaller size and can penetrate deeper into the lungs than large particles and may therefore be of greater health concern (Peters, 2011). One of the biological pathways linking PM exposure with cardiovascular outcomes could be systemic inflammation and oxidative stress (Brook et al., 2010).
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Statement of Conflict of Interest: see page XX.