Aim: A significant relationship between exposure to cadmium and PAHs from urban air pollution and blood pressure has already been found. The aim of the study is to evaluate if other urban pollutants maintain a similar relationship in outdoor workers.
Materials and methods: 349 subjects of both sexes were enrolled in the study; we evaluated values of environmental and biological monitoring of respirable dust, arsenic, lead, benzene, toluene, xylene and we measured blood pressure (BP) in upright and in supine position; to analyze data we used multiple linear regression. Also we valued our results in the light of those we have obtained in previous research.
Results: Multiple linear regression showed no significant results that demonstrate a relationship between BP and these pollutants.
Conclusions: The results of our study lead to assume that exposure to urban pollutants studied has not connection with blood pressure, and to retain valid the relationship previously observed for cadmium and PAHs, which seem to be the only pollutants that can affect blood pressure.
Keywords: Biological monitoring; Blood pressure; Environmental monitoring; Outdoor workers; Urban pollution.