Exposure to traffic pollution, acute inflammation and autonomic response in a panel of car commuters

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jeremy Sarnat, Emory University; Rachel Golan, Emory University; Robert Greenwald, Emory University; Amit Raysoni, Emory University; Priya Kewada, Emory University; Andrea Winquist, Emory University; Stefanie Sarnat, Emory University; William Flanders, Emory University; Maria Mirabelli, Emory University; Jennifer E. Zora, Emory University; Michael H. Bergin, Georgia Institute of Technology; Fuyuen Yip, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-08
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.05.004
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Environmental Research
• ISSN: 0013-9351
• Volume: 133
• Start Page: 66
• End Page: 76
• Grant/Funding Information: None of the funding bodies endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in the publication.; This publication was made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by US EPA grant R834799.; This publication's contents are solely the responsibility of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the US EPA or the United States government.
• Keywords: Asthma; Exhaled nitric oxide; Heart rate variability; Car commute

Abstract

Background Exposure to traffic pollution has been linked to numerous adverse health endpoints. Despite this, limited data examining traffic exposures during realistic commutes and acute response exists. Objectives: We conducted the Atlanta Commuters Exposures (ACE-1) Study, an extensive panel-based exposure and health study, to measure chemically-resolved in-vehicle exposures and corresponding changes in acute oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, pulmonary and systemic inflammation and autonomic response. Methods We recruited 42 adults (21 with and 21 without asthma) to conduct two 2-h scripted highway commutes during morning rush hour in the metropolitan Atlanta area. A suite of in-vehicle particulate components were measured in the subjects’ private vehicles. Biomarker measurements were conducted before, during, and immediately after the commutes and in 3 hourly intervals after commutes. Results At measurement time points within 3 h after the commute, we observed mild to pronounced elevations relative to baseline in exhaled nitric oxide, C-reactive-protein, and exhaled malondialdehyde, indicative of pulmonary and systemic inflammation and oxidative stress initiation, as well as decreases relative to baseline levels in the time-domain heart-rate variability parameters, SDNN and rMSSD, indicative of autonomic dysfunction. We did not observe any detectable changes in lung function measurements (FEV1, FVC), the frequency-domain heart-rate variability parameter or other systemic biomarkers of vascular injury. Water soluble organic carbon was associated with changes in eNO at all post-commute time-points (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our results point to measureable changes in pulmonary and autonomic biomarkers following a scripted 2-h highway commute.