Tropospheric formaldehyde levels infer ambient formaldehyde-induced brain diseases and global burden in China, 2013-2019

Ye Yuan; Yiqing Wu; Hang Zhao; Jie Ren; Wenting Su; Yiduo Kou; Qi Wang; Jianhua Cheng; Zhiqian Tong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163553

Tropospheric formaldehyde levels infer ambient formaldehyde-induced brain diseases and global burden in China, 2013-2019

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 20:883:163553. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163553. Epub 2023 Apr 25.

Authors

Ye Yuan¹, Yiqing Wu², Hang Zhao³, Jie Ren⁴, Wenting Su⁵, Yiduo Kou³, Qi Wang³, Jianhua Cheng⁶, Zhiqian Tong⁷

Affiliations

¹ Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Chonnam National University, 77, Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Korea; Lishui Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, China.
² Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China; Alberta Institute, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
³ Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
⁴ Department of neurology, the first affiliated hospital of Wenzhou medical University, Wenzhou 325035. China.
⁵ Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
⁶ Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China; Department of neurology, the first affiliated hospital of Wenzhou medical University, Wenzhou 325035. China. Electronic address: chengjianhua@wmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China; Alberta Institute, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China; Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China. Electronic address: tzqbeida@ccmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37100142
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163553

Abstract

Although air pollutions cause human diseases, no epidemiological study has investigated the effect of exposure to air pollutants on brain diseases in the general population. Our objective was to examine the association between tropospheric airborne pollutants and human health risk and global burden, especially, attributable to indoor formaldehyde (FA) pollution in China. The data of tropospheric pollutants, such as: CO, NO, O₃, PM2.5 or PM10, SO₂, and FA in China, 2013-2019, which were derived from the database of satellite remote-sensing, were first calculated and then analyzed them according to satellite cloud pictures. The rate of prevalence, incidence, deaths, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of the Chinese population was obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD 2010). A linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between tropospheric FA concentrations and GBD indexes of human brain diseases, the numbers of fire plot, the average summer temperature, population density and car sales in China from 2013 to 2019. Our results showed that the levels of tropospheric FA could reflect the degree of indoor air FA pollution on a nationwide scale in China; in particular, only tropospheric FA exhibited a positive correlation with the rates of both prevalence and YLDs in brain diseases including: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and brain cancer, but not in Parkinson's disease and depression. In particular, the spatial-temporal changes in tropospheric FA levels were consistent with the geographical distribution of FA exposure-induced AD and brain cancer in both sex old adults with age (60-89). In addition, summer average temperature, car sales and population density were positively correlated with tropospheric FA levels in China, 2013-2019. Hence, mapping of tropospheric pollutants could be used for air quality monitoring and health risk assessment.

Keywords: Air quality; Global burden of diseases (GBD); Prevalence; Tropospheric formaldehyde; Years lived with disability (YLDs).

MeSH terms

Adult
Alzheimer Disease* / chemically induced
Alzheimer Disease* / epidemiology
Brain Neoplasms*
China / epidemiology
Disabled Persons*
Environmental Pollutants*
Humans
Quality-Adjusted Life Years
Risk Factors

Substances

Environmental Pollutants