Annual Ambient Black Carbon Associated with Shorter Telomeres in Elderly Men: Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives Vol. 118; no. 11; pp. 1564 - 1570
• Main Authors: McCracken, John, Baccarelli, Andrea, Hoxha, Mirjam, Dioni, Laura, Melly, Steve, Coull, Brent, Suh, Helen, Vokonas, Pantel, Schwartz, Joel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Research Triangle Park, NC National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01.11.2010; US Department of Health and Human Services
• Subjects: Aged; Aged patients; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Air; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - chemistry; Black carbon; Body mass index; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Care and treatment; Coronary artery disease; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Epidemiological Monitoring; Health aspects; Health risks; Humans; Inflammation; Inhalation Exposure - analysis; Inhalation Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Leukocytes; Linear Models; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Older people; Oxidative stress; Physiological aspects; Polymerase chain reaction; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Factors; Soot - analysis; Telomere - genetics; Telomeres; Toxicology; Traffic estimation; Veterans - statistics & numerical data; United States; North America; America; Senescence; epigenetic process; Toxicity; Traffic; Male; cardiovascular physiology; Telomere; Particle; Health and environment; vehicle emissions; Adult; Exhaust gas; Physiology; Veteran; particles; Public health; Human; Health system; biological aging; Health insurance; Carbon black; Ageing; environmental exposure; Epigenetics; Environment; Air pollution; Circulatory system; Elderly

Background: Telomere length reflects biological age and is inversely associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Ambient air pollution is associated with CVD, but its effect on telomere length is unknown. Objective: We investigated whether ambient black carbon (BC), a marker for traffic-re...