A Pilot Study of the Cardiopulmonary Effects in Healthy Volunteers After Exposure to High Levels of PM2.5 in a New York City Subway Station

Details

• Personal Author:
  Farrell KR ; Gordon T ; Luglio DG
• Description:
  Background: Subway systems are becoming increasingly common worldwide transporting large populations in major cities. PM2.5 concentrations have been demonstrated to be exceptionally high when underground, however. Studies on the impact of subway PM exposure on cardiopulmonary health in the United States are limited. Methods: Healthy volunteers in New York City were exposed to a 2-h visit on the 9th Street Station platform on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson train system. Blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV), spirometry, and forced impulse oscillometry were measured, and urine, blood spot, and nasal swab biosamples were collected for cytokine analysis at the end of the 2-h exposure period. These endpoints were compared against individual control measurements collected after 2-h in a "clean" control space. In addition to paired comparisons, mixed effects models with subject as a random effect were employed to investigate the effect of the PM2.5 concentrations and visit type (i.e., subway vs. control). Results: Mean PM2.5 concentrations on the platform and during the control visit were 293.6+/-65.7 (SD) and 4.6+/-1.9 µg/m3, respectively. There was no change in any of the health metrics, but there was a non-significant trend for SDNN to be lower after subway exposure compared to control exposure. Total symptomatic scores did increase post-subway exposure compared to reported values prior to exposure or after the control visit. No significant changes in cytokine concentrations in any specimen type were observed. Mixed-effects models mostly corroborated these paired comparisons. Conclusions: Acute exposures to PM on a subway platform do not cause measurable cardiopulmonary effects apart from reductions in HRV and increases in symptoms in healthy volunteers. These findings match other studies that found little to no changes in lung function and blood pressure after exposure in underground subway stations. Future work should still target potentially more vulnerable populations, such as individuals with asthma or those who spend increased time underground on the subway such as transit workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Cardiovascular System Metals Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory Function Tests Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Air Pollutants Air Pollution Author Keywords: Subway Blood Pressure Cardiopulmonary Cardiopulmonary Function Cytokines Exposure Heart Rate Heart Rate Variability Oscillometry Particulates PM2.5 Spirometry Urban Environment

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• ISSN:
  1743-8977
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Louisiana ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  42
• Volume:
  21
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070200
• Citation:
  Part Fibre Toxicol 2024 Oct; 21:42
• Contact Point Address:
  Terry Gordon, Division of Environmental Medicine, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY
• Email:
  terry.gordon@nyulangone.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Particle and Fibre Toxicology
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:424f5ff1e6dc607698f9399275086cf0d55e1102cc8d84c467740572a5c88ada6affed7c85d08c9f8283dfa267c23ec40247b95b4b4f8dd3f8e1414252e05c18
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208456/cdc_208456_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.11 MB ]