Investigation of the Association between Long-term Ozone Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Epidemiology
• Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

• Ozone is a major air pollutant with known respiratory effects.
• Previous reviews on ozone exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD) lacked comprehensiveness or specificity.
• Understanding the long-term impact of ozone on CVD mortality and morbidity is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate cohort studies on long-term ozone exposure and CVD-related mortality and morbidity.
• To address gaps in existing literature regarding specific CVD types and exposure windows.
• To quantify the risk associated with increased ozone concentrations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic evaluation of cohort studies.
• Data retrieval from major scientific databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase.
• Meta-analysis to calculate relative risks (RR) and confidence intervals (CI).

Main Results:

• A 10 µg/m³ increase in ozone concentration was associated with a 1.05% increase in CVD mortality (RR=1.0105) and a 5.78% increase in CVD morbidity (RR=1.0578).
• Warm-season ozone exposure showed a higher risk for CVD mortality (RR=1.0186) compared to annual averages (RR=0.9971).
• Elevated CVD mortality risks were observed in females (RR=1.1135) and in Europe/USA (RR=1.0129) compared to Asia (RR=1.0326).

Conclusions:

• Long-term ozone exposure is associated with a modest but significant increase in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
• Specific populations (females) and exposure windows (warm season) may face higher risks.
• Further research is needed across diverse regions and vulnerable groups to fully understand long-term ozone effects on cardiovascular health.