Some of the effects of air pollution
on health are well documented -lung cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, and a
long etcetera- but for others there is less scientific evidence. Such is the
case of bone health: there are only a few studies and results are inconclusive.
Now, a study in India led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health
(ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa”, has found an association
between exposure to air pollution and poor bone health.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which
the density and quality of the bone is reduced. Globally, it is responsible for
a substantial burden of disease and its prevalence is expected to increase due
to aging of the population.
The new
study performed by the CHAI Project, led by ISGlobal and published in Jama Network Open, analysed the association between air
pollution and bone health in over 3,700 people from 28 villages outside the
city of Hyberabad, in southern India.
The authors used a locally-developed
model to estimate outdoor exposure at residence to air pollution by fine
particulate matter (suspended particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) and black carbon. The
participants also filled a questionnaire on the type of fuel used for cooking.
The authors linked this information with bone health assessed using a special
type of radiography that measures bone density, called dual-energy x-ray
absorptiometry, and measured bone mass at the lumbar spine and the left hip.
The results showed that exposure to
ambient air pollution, particularly to fine particles, was associated with
lower levels of bone mass. No correlation was found with use of biomass fuel
for cooking.
“This study contributes to the
limited and inconclusive literature on air pollution and bone health,” explains
Otavio T. Ranzani, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. Regarding
the possible mechanisms underlying this association, he says “inhalation of
polluting particles could lead to bone mass loss through the oxidative stress
and inflammation caused by air pollution”.
Annual average exposure to ambient
PM2.5 was 32.8 μg/m3, far
above the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (10 μg/m3). 58% of participants used
biomass fuel for cooking.
“Our findings add to a growing body
of evidence that indicates that particulate air pollution is relevant for bone
health across a wide range of air pollution levels, including levels found in
high income and low-and medium income countries” says Cathryn Tonne,
coordinator of the study and of the CHAI project. “
No comments:
Post a Comment