Braga, A, Santos, U, Lin, C, Pereira, L, Zanetta, D, Saldiva, P, and Terra-Filho, M
Some blood markers are related to cardiovascular risks. In order to investigate the effects of urban air pollutants on haematocrit, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelets, and white blood cells we carried out a panel study with 48 traffic controllers working in high traffic avenues in São Paulo City. All participants were males, non-smokers or former smokers for at least one year, with at least complete high school education, and without previous cardiovascular diseases. Blood samples were collected in working days, in three different periods: August 2000, January/February 2001, and August 2001, corresponding to different mean levels of air pollutants exposure (winters-August, and summer-January and February). Variance analysis for repeated measures were done to compare the means of the outcomes over the studied periods. Linear regression models with generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess the effect of PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3 on the blood markers, controlling for temperature, humidity, age, and body mass index. Excepting O3, all pollutants where associated with changes in blood markers. In general, the effects presented short time lags. An interquartile range increase of CO (1.1 ppm) was associated with increases of 0.7 % on haematocrit (95% CI: 0.14 -1.25) and 1.54 mm on ESR (95% CI: 0.01-3.07). An interquartile range increase of SO2 (9.6 μg/m3) was associated with increases of 0.83 % on haematocrit (95% CI: 0.18-1.49), 5,319 platelets/mm3 (95% CI: 63-10,575), and 514 white blood cells/mm3 (95% CI: 5-1,022). An interquartile range of PM10 (33.6 μg/m3) was associated with an increase of 1,5 mm on ESR (95% CI: 0.13-2.9). An interquartile range increase in NO2 (56 μg/m3) was associated with an increase of 1.5 mm on ESR (95% CI: 0.47-2.44). In São Paulo, all primary pollutants presented association with, at least, one of the blood markers of cardiovascular risk. These results are in agreement with other studies focusing the same endpoints and reinforce the epidemiological association between air pollution and cardiovascular deaths reported in time-series studies. Study funded by InCor, CET, UNISA, LIM05-FMUSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]