Triggering of cardiovascular hospital admissions by source specific fine particle concentrations in urban centers of New York State

David Q Rich; Wangjian Zhang; Shao Lin; Stefania Squizzato; Sally W Thurston; Edwin van Wijngaarden; Daniel Croft; Mauro Masiol; Philip K Hopke

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.018

Triggering of cardiovascular hospital admissions by source specific fine particle concentrations in urban centers of New York State

Environ Int. 2019 May:126:387-394. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.018. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Authors

David Q Rich¹, Wangjian Zhang², Shao Lin², Stefania Squizzato³, Sally W Thurston⁴, Edwin van Wijngaarden⁵, Daniel Croft⁶, Mauro Masiol³, Philip K Hopke⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box EHSC, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 692, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Electronic address: david_rich@urmc.rochester.edu.
² Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
³ Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, CU 420630, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
⁵ Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box EHSC, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 651, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
⁶ Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 692, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
⁷ Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Box 5708, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.

Abstract

Background: Previous work reported increased rates of acute cardiovascular hospitalizations associated with increased PM_2.5 concentrations in the previous few days across urban centers in New York State from 2005 to 2016. These relative rates were higher after air quality policies and economic changes resulted in decreased PM_2.5 concentrations and changes in PM composition (e.g. increased secondary organic carbon), compared to before and during these changes. Changes in PM composition and sources may explain this difference.

Objectives: To estimate the rate of acute cardiovascular hospitalizations associated with increases in source specific PM_2.5 concentrations.

Methods: Using source apportioned PM_2.5 concentrations at the same NYS urban sites, a time-stratified case-crossover design, and conditional logistic regression models adjusting for ambient temperature and relative humidity, we estimated the rate of these acute cardiovascular hospitalizations associated with increases in mean source specific PM_2.5 concentrations in the previous 1, 4, and 7 days.

Results: Interquartile range (IQR) increases in spark-ignition emissions (GAS) concentrations were associated with increased excess rates of cardiac arrhythmia hospitalizations (2.3%; 95% CI = 0.4%, 4.2%; IQR = 2.56 μg/m³) and ischemic stroke hospitalizations (3.7%; 95% CI = 1.1%, 6.4%; 2. 73 μg/m³) over the next day. IQR increases in diesel (DIE) concentrations were associated with increased rates of congestive heart failure hospitalizations (0.7%; 95% CI = 0.2% 1.3%; 0.51 μg/m³) and ischemic heart disease hospitalizations (0.8%; 95% CI = 0.3%, 1.3%; 0.60 μg/m³) over the next day, as hypothesized. However, secondary sulfate PM_2.5 (SS) was not. Increased acute cardiovascular hospitalization rates were also associated with IQR increases in concentrations of road dust (RD), residual oil (RO), and secondary nitrate (SN) over the previous 1, 4, and 7 days, but not other sources.

Conclusions: These findings suggest a role of several sources of PM_2.5 in New York State (i.e. traffic emissions, non-traffic emissions such as brake and tire wear, residual oil, and nitrate that may also reflect traffic emissions) in the triggering of acute cardiovascular events.

Keywords: Air pollution; Cardiovascular hospitalizations; Source apportionment; Traffic emissions.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Air Pollutants / analysis*
Air Pollution / analysis
Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
Cities / epidemiology
Environmental Monitoring
Female
Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
New York / epidemiology
Nitrates / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis*
Sulfates / analysis
Vehicle Emissions / analysis
Young Adult

Substances

Air Pollutants
Nitrates
Particulate Matter
Sulfates
Vehicle Emissions

Grants and funding

T32 HL066988/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States