Daily concentrations of air pollution and plasma fibrinogen in London

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 57; no. 12; pp. 818 - 822
• Main Authors: Pekkanen, J, Brunner, E J, Anderson, H R, Tiittanen, P, Atkinson, R W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.12.2000; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adult; Air; Air pollutants; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution; Biological and medical sciences; Blood plasma; Body mass index; British Isles, England, London; Carbon Monoxide - analysis; Cardiovascular diseases; Confidence Intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; fibrinogen; Fibrinogen - analysis; haemostatic factors; Health risks; Humans; Humidity; Logistic Models; London; Male; Medical sciences; Men; Middle Aged; Mortality; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen Dioxide - analysis; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Recruitment; Regression analysis; Response rates; Risk factors; Smoke; Sulfur dioxide; Temperature; Toxicology; Urban Health; Variables; Warm seasons; Womens health; Working women; United Kingdom; Europe; London; British Isles, England, Greater London, London; Human; Weather; Urban environment; Urban road traffic; Hemostasis; Fibrinogen; Cardiovascular disease; Air pollution; Clerical personnel; Epidemiology; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.57.12.818

OBJECTIVES The reason for the association between air pollution and risk of cardiovascular diseases is unknown. The hypothesis was examined that daily concentrations of air pollution are associated with daily concentrations of fibrinogen, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. METHODS Data on concentrations of plasma fibrinogen for 4982 male and 2223 female office workers, collected in a cross sectional survey in London between September 1991 and May 1993, were combined with data on concentrations of air pollution during the day of blood sampling and during the 3 preceding days. RESULTS After adjustment for weather and other confounding factors, an increase in the 24 hour mean NO2 during the previous day from the 10th to the 90th percentile (61.7 μg/m3) was associated with a 1.5% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.4% to 2.5%) higher fibrinogen concentration. The respective increase for CO (1.6 mg/m3) was 1.5% (95% CI 0.5%, 2.5%). These associations tended to be stronger in the warm season (April to September). Significant associations were found for black smoke and particulate matter of diameter 10 μm (PM10) only in the warm season. No association with fibrinogen was found for SO2 or ozone. CONCLUSIONS The short term association between air pollution, possibly from traffic, and risk of cardiovascular events may be at least partly mediated through increased concentrations of plasma fibrinogen, possibly due to an inflammatory reaction caused by air pollution.