Folwarczny, E.* ; Förster, F.* ; Jörres, R.A.* ; Rakete, S.* ; Ye, S.* ; Wenig, M.* ; Gawlitta, N. ; Schnelle-Kreis, J. ; Winterhalter, R.* ; Müller, A.* ; Nowak, D.* ; Karrasch, S.*
Acute health effects of ambient air pollution including ultrafine particles in a semi-experimental setting in young, healthy individuals.
Part. Fibre Toxicol. 22:14 (2025)
BACKGROUND: Multiple effects of ultrafine particles (UFP) on human subjects are known but there is less knowledge of how relative exposure levels between ultrafine and fine particles as typically encountered in large cities affect lung function and cardiovascular parameters. METHODS: Four sites with high/low levels of ultrafine particles and/or fine particles were selected in the city of Munich, Germany: control area (woodland), urban environment, heavy traffic site, biomass combustion (beech wood). In a randomized cross-over design, 26 young, healthy individuals were exposed at each site over 75 min to atmospheric pollutants, which were monitored continuously, while performing intermittent (5 min per 15 min) light exercise. Parameters assessed pre and post exposure comprised symptoms, spirometry, lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and nitric oxide (DLNO), alveolar volume (AV), the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), reactive hyperemia index (RHI), blood pressure, and heart rate. Outcomes were expressed as percent changes of parameters and analyses performed by either comparing the four sites or by multiple linear regression analyses using the measured pollutant levels. RESULTS: The sites showed the planned pattern of exposure levels but with large overlap. Outcomes showed no statistically significant differences between sites, except for symptoms which were elevated with heavy traffic site exposure and biomass combustion. In regression analyses, AV decreased by 0.92 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28 to 1.57) % per 10,000/cm3 UFP; similarly, for LDSA (lung-deposited surface area), which was highly correlated with UFP. Overall, FeNO slightly increased after exposure, but this increase was attenuated by 5.4 (95% CI: 1.8 to 9.2) % per 10 ppb ambient NO2. Heart rate decreased after exposures overall; this decrease was enhanced by 2.1 (95% CI: 0.3 to 4.0) % per 10,000/cm3 UFP. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term exposures to UFP elicited a reduction in the lung volume (AV) accessible to gas transport by diffusion and convection. FeNO was slightly elevated after all exposures, but this increase was significantly smaller at higher ambient NO2 concentrations. While these effects were too small to be clinically relevant, they demonstrated that typical levels of urban air pollution had measurable acute effects in young, healthy individuals.
Impact Factor
Scopus SNIP
Web of Science
Times Cited
Scopus
Cited By
Altmetric
Publikationstyp
Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Typ der Hochschulschrift
Herausgeber
Schlagwörter
Air Pollutants ; Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Testing ; Lung Function ; Lung Volume Measurements ; Particulate Matter ; Short-term Exposure ; Ultrafine Particles; Exhaled Nitric-oxide; Blood Pressure Responses; Short-term Exposure; Lung; Smoking
Keywords plus
Sprache
englisch
Veröffentlichungsjahr
2025
Prepublished im Jahr
0
HGF-Berichtsjahr
2025
ISSN (print) / ISBN
1743-8977
e-ISSN
1743-8977
ISBN
Bandtitel
Konferenztitel
Konferzenzdatum
Konferenzort
Konferenzband
Quellenangaben
Band: 22,
Heft: 1,
Seiten: ,
Artikelnummer: 14
Supplement: ,
Reihe
Verlag
Bmc
Verlagsort
London
Tag d. mündl. Prüfung
0000-00-00
Betreuer
Gutachter
Prüfer
Topic
Hochschule
Hochschulort
Fakultät
Veröffentlichungsdatum
0000-00-00
Anmeldedatum
0000-00-00
Anmelder/Inhaber
weitere Inhaber
Anmeldeland
Priorität
Begutachtungsstatus
Peer reviewed
POF Topic(s)
30202 - Environmental Health
Forschungsfeld(er)
Environmental Sciences
PSP-Element(e)
G-504500-001
Förderungen
Klinikum der Universitt Mnchen (6933)
Copyright
Erfassungsdatum
2025-06-02