Living Near a Major Roadway Linked with Atherosclerosis

Living Near a Major Roadway Linked with Atherosclerosis

John Peters, M.D., Sc.D. and Frank Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Southern California
P30ES007048


NIEHS grantees at the University of Southern California present the first epidemiologic evidence supporting the idea of a chronic vascular response to exposure to particulate matter air pollution in new findings published in the journal PLos ONE. They found that the progression of atherosclerosis was more than twice as fast for people living within 100 meters of a major highway in Southern California.

The team used data from five Los Angeles based double-blind randomized clinical trials that assessed effects of various treatments on the change in carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker for sub-clinical atherosclerosis. They used models to estimate the home outdoor concentrations of particulate matter air pollution and classified the subjects’ homes by proximity to traffic-related pollution. Particulate matter pollutions levels and traffic proximity were positively associated with CIMT progression. Data from the study suggest that living within 100 meters of a major highway accelerates the progression of CIMT by 5.5 micrometers per year resulting in more than twice the average annual progression in the population at large.

From a biological and a policy perspective they emphasize that particulate matter pollution probably serves as a surrogate for the mixture of urban air pollution. They warn that it may be premature to conclude that particulate matter pollution and its constituents are the sole cause of the progression of the arterial thickening. Atherosclerosis results from complex processes that may include a combination of various urban pollutants, host factors, and pathways that ultimately lead to the association.

Given the leading role of heart disease as a cause of death in most westernized countries and the growing contribution in developing countries, these findings may be of high public health relevance. Further investigations need to focus on susceptible groups and follow-up of cohorts to investigate the effect of air pollution on the progression of CIMT.

Citation: Künzli N, Jerrett M, Garcia-Esteban R, Basagaña X, Beckermann B, Gilliland F, Medina M, Peters J, Hodis HN, Mack WJ. Ambient air pollution and the progression of atherosclerosis in adults. PLoS One. 2010 Feb 8;5(2):e9096.
Living Near a Major Roadway Linked with Atherosclerosis