Kritika Anand1, Carolina L Z Vieira2, Eric Garshick3, Veronica Wang2, Annelise Blomberg4, Diane R Gold5, Joel Schwartz5, Pantel Vokonas6, Petros Koutrakis2. 1. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: anandkritika26@gmail.com. 2. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA. 3. Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep, and Critical Care Medicine Section, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 4. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. 5. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 6. VA Normative Aging Study, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Increased solar and geomagnetic activity (SGA) may alter sympathetic nervous system activity, reduce antioxidant activity, and modulate physiochemical processes that contribute to atmospheric aerosols, all which may reduce pulmonary function. OBJECTIVES: Investigate associations between forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) with SGA, and assess whether SGA enhances adverse effects of particulate pollution, black carbon (BC) and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). METHODS: We conducted a repeated measures analysis in 726 Normative Aging Study participants (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) between 2000 and 2017, using interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), planetary K index (Kp), and sunspot number (SSN) as SGA measures. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess exposure moving averages up to 28 days for both SGA and pollution. RESULTS: Increases in IMF, Kp Index and SSN from the day of the pulmonary function test averaged through day 28 of were associated with a significant decrement in FEV1 and FVC, after adjusting for potential confounders. There were greater effects for longer moving averages and enhanced effects of PM2.5 and BC on FEV1 and FVC with increased SGA. For example, for each inter-quartile increase (4.55 μg/m3) in average PM2.5 28 days before testing, low IMF (10th percentile: 3.2 nT) was associated with a -21.4 ml (95 % CI: -60.8, 18.1) and -7.1 ml (95 % CI: -37.7, 23·4) decrease in FVC and FEV1, respectively; high IMF (90th percentile: 9.0 nT) was associated with a -120.7 ml (95 % CI:-166.5, -74.9) and -78.6 ml (95 % CI: -114.3, -42·8) decrease in FVC and FEV1, respectively. DISCUSSION: Increased periods of solar and geomagnetic activity may directly contribute to impaired pulmonary function and also enhance effects of PM2.5 and BC. Since exposure to solar activity is ubiquitous, stricter measures in reducing air pollution exposures are warranted, particularly in elderly populations.
BACKGROUND: Increased solar and geomagnetic activity (SGA) may alter sympathetic nervous system activity, reduce antioxidant activity, and modulate physiochemical processes that contribute to atmospheric aerosols, all which may reduce pulmonary function. OBJECTIVES: Investigate associations between forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) with SGA, and assess whether SGA enhances adverse effects of particulate pollution, black carbon (BC) and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). METHODS: We conducted a repeated measures analysis in 726 Normative Aging Study participants (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) between 2000 and 2017, using interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), planetary K index (Kp), and sunspot number (SSN) as SGA measures. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess exposure moving averages up to 28 days for both SGA and pollution. RESULTS: Increases in IMF, Kp Index and SSN from the day of the pulmonary function test averaged through day 28 of were associated with a significant decrement in FEV1 and FVC, after adjusting for potential confounders. There were greater effects for longer moving averages and enhanced effects of PM2.5 and BC on FEV1 and FVC with increased SGA. For example, for each inter-quartile increase (4.55 μg/m3) in average PM2.5 28 days before testing, low IMF (10th percentile: 3.2 nT) was associated with a -21.4 ml (95 % CI: -60.8, 18.1) and -7.1 ml (95 % CI: -37.7, 23·4) decrease in FVC and FEV1, respectively; high IMF (90th percentile: 9.0 nT) was associated with a -120.7 ml (95 % CI:-166.5, -74.9) and -78.6 ml (95 % CI: -114.3, -42·8) decrease in FVC and FEV1, respectively. DISCUSSION: Increased periods of solar and geomagnetic activity may directly contribute to impaired pulmonary function and also enhance effects of PM2.5 and BC. Since exposure to solar activity is ubiquitous, stricter measures in reducing air pollution exposures are warranted, particularly in elderly populations.
Authors: Hélida C Aquino-Santos; Jeanne S Tavares-Vasconcelos; Maysa A R Brandão-Rangel; Amanda C Araújo-Rosa; Rayssa T Morais-Felix; Simone Oliveira-Freitas; Fernando A Santa-Rosa; Luís V F Oliveira; André L L Bachi; Thiago G G Alves; Amanda F Frade-Barros; Claudio R Frison; Rodolfo P Vieira Journal: Int J Clin Pract Date: 2020-07-13 Impact factor: 2.503
Authors: Valery L Feigin; Priya G Parmar; Suzanne Barker-Collo; Derrick A Bennett; Craig S Anderson; Amanda G Thrift; Birgitta Stegmayr; Peter M Rothwell; Maurice Giroud; Yannick Bejot; Phillip Carvil; Rita Krishnamurthi; Nikola Kasabov Journal: Stroke Date: 2014-04-22 Impact factor: 7.914
Authors: Johanna Lepeule; Augusto A Litonjua; Brent Coull; Petros Koutrakis; David Sparrow; Pantel S Vokonas; Joel Schwartz Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2014-09-01 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: M Bentayeb; M Simoni; N Baiz; D Norback; S Baldacci; S Maio; G Viegi; I Annesi-Maesano Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2012-09 Impact factor: 2.373
Authors: Claudia Emanuele Carvalho-Sousa; Eliana P Pereira; Gabriela S Kinker; Mariana Veras; Zulma S Ferreira; Fernanda P Barbosa-Nunes; Joilson O Martins; Paulo H N Saldiva; Russel J Reiter; Pedro A Fernandes; Sanseray da Silveira Cruz-Machado; Regina P Markus Journal: J Pineal Res Date: 2020-02-28 Impact factor: 13.007
Authors: Rollin McCraty; Mike Atkinson; Viktor Stolc; Abdullah A Alabdulgader; Alfonsas Vainoras; Minvydas Ragulskis Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2017-07-13 Impact factor: 3.390