Increased mortality risk from airborne exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) health effects on the general population are understudied.
• This research investigates the link between short-term, low-level exposure to PAHs and mortality risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between short-term exposure to total and carcinogenic PAHs and mortality risk.
• To provide evidence on the health impacts of ambient PAHs in a large population.

Main Methods:

• A time-stratified case-crossover study involving over 2 million deaths in Jiangsu province, China (2016-2019).
• Daily PAH concentrations were estimated using spatiotemporal models and assigned to cases based on residence.
• Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate mortality risk associated with interquartile range increases in PAH exposure.

Main Results:

• An IQR increase in total PAH concentration (16.9 ng/m³) was associated with a 1.90% increase in all-cause mortality.
• Specific carcinogenic PAHs showed varying mortality risks, with indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IcdP) showing the highest risk increase (2.96-3.85%).
• Increased risks were observed for nonaccidental, circulatory, and respiratory mortality linked to total PAH exposure.

Conclusions:

• Short-term exposure to airborne PAHs is associated with heightened mortality risk in the general population.
• Airborne PAHs represent a potential public health concern, necessitating further research on low-dose exposure effects.
• Findings underscore the importance of monitoring and mitigating PAH exposure to protect public health.