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Air pollution is a major contributor to the global burden of disease and has been linked to several diseases and conditions, including cardiovascular disease. The biological mechanisms are related to inflammation and increased coagulability, factors that play an important role in the pathogenesis of venous thromboembolism (VTE, i.e., deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism). This study investigates if long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased VTE incidence. The study followed 29 408 participants from the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort, which consists of adults aged 44–74 recruited in Malmö, Sweden between 1991 and 1996. For each participant, annual mean residential exposures to particulate matter <2.5 μg (PM 2.5) and <10 μg (PM 10), nitrogen oxides (NO x) and black carbon (BC) from 1990 up to 2016 were calculated. Associations with VTE were analysed using Cox proportional hazard models for air pollution in the year of the VTE event (lag0) and the mean of the prior 1–10 years (lag1-10). Annual air pollution exposures for the full follow-up period had the following means: 10.8 μg/m3 for PM 2.5 , 15.8 μg/m3 for PM 10 , 27.7 μg/m3 for NO x , and 0.96 μg/m3 for BC. The mean follow-up period was 19.5 years, with 1418 incident VTE events recorded during this period. Exposure to lag1-10 PM 2.5 was associated with an increased risk of VTE (HR 1.17 (95%CI 1.01–1.37)) per interquartile range (IQR) of 1.2 μg/m3 increase in PM 2.5 exposure. No significant associations were found between other pollutants or lag0 PM 2.5 and incident VTE. When VTE was divided into specific diagnoses, associations with lag1-10 PM 2.5 exposure were similarly positive for deep vein thrombosis but not for pulmonary embolism. Results persisted in sensitivity analyses and in multi-pollutant models. Long-term exposure to moderate concentrations of ambient PM 2.5 was associated with increased risks of VTE in the general population in Sweden. [Display omitted] • Exposure to ambient PM 2.5 was moderate in the cohort. • We found associations between 10-year mean PM 2.5 concentrations and venous thromboembolism (VTE). • We found associations between 10-year mean PM 2.5 and deep vein thrombosis, but not pulmonary embolisms. • We found no associations between for coarse particles, black carbon or nitrogen oxides and VTE. • We found no associations between one-year average exposures and VTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To estimate concentration-response relationships for particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) in relation to mortality in cohorts from three Swedish cities with comparatively low pollutant levels., Setting: Cohorts from Gothenburg, Stockholm and Umeå, Sweden., Design: High-resolution dispersion models were used to estimate annual mean concentrations of PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm (PM10) and ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), and BC, at individual addresses during each year of follow-up, 1990-2011. Moving averages were calculated for the time windows 1-5 years (lag1-5) and 6-10 years (lag6-10) preceding the outcome. Cause-specific mortality data were obtained from the national cause of death registry. Cohort-specific HRs were estimated using Cox regression models and then meta-analysed including a random effect of cohort., Participants: During the study period, 7 340 cases of natural mortality, 2 755 cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and 817 cases of respiratory and lung cancer mortality were observed among in total 68 679 individuals and 689 813 person-years of follow-up., Results: Both PM10 (range: 6.3-41.9 µg/m 3 ) and BC (range: 0.2-6.8 µg/m 3 ) were associated with natural mortality showing 17% (95% CI 6% to 31%) and 9% (95% CI 0% to 18%) increased risks per 10 µg/m 3 and 1 µg/m 3 of lag1-5 exposure, respectively. For PM2.5 (range: 4.0-22.4 µg/m 3 ), the estimated increase was 13% per 5 µg/m 3 , but less precise (95% CI -9% to 40%). Estimates for CVD mortality appeared higher for both PM10 and PM2.5. No association was observed with respiratory mortality., Conclusion: The results support an effect of long-term air pollution on natural mortality and mortality in CVD with high relative risks also at low exposure levels. These findings are relevant for future decisions concerning air quality policies., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) in ambient air has been associated with cardiovascular mortality, but few studies have considered incident disease in relation to PM from different sources., Objectives: We aimed to study associations between long-term exposure to different types of PM and sources, and incident ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke in three Swedish cities., Methods: Based on detailed emission databases, monitoring data, and high-resolution dispersion models, we calculated source contributions to PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μ m ( PM 10 ), PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μ m ( PM 2.5 ), and black carbon (BC) from road wear, traffic exhaust, residential heating, and other sources in Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Umeå. Registry data for participants from four cohorts were used to obtain incidence of IHD and stroke for first hospitalization or death. We constructed time windows of exposure for same-year, 1- to 5-y, and 6- to 10-y averages preceding incidence from annual averages at residential addresses. Risk estimates were based on random effects meta-analyses of cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard models., Results: We observed 5,166 and 3,119 incident IHD and stroke cases, respectively, in 114,758 participants. Overall, few consistent associations were observed between the different air pollution measures and IHD or stroke incidence. However, same-year levels of ambient locally emitted BC (range: 0.01 - 4.6   μ g / m 3 ) were associated with a 4.0% higher risk of incident stroke per interquartile range (IQR), 0.30   μ g / m 3 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04, 7.8]. This association was primarily related to BC from traffic exhaust. PM 10 (range: 4.4 - 52   μ g / m 3 ) and PM 2.5 (range: 2.9 - 22   μ g / m 3 ) were not associated with stroke. Associations with incident IHD were observed only for PM 2.5 exposure from residential heating., Discussion: Few consistent associations were observed between different particulate components and IHD or stroke. However, long-term residential exposure to locally emitted BC from traffic exhaust was associated with stroke incidence. The comparatively low exposure levels may have contributed to the paucity of associations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4757.

Atypical wear and oral lesions were studied in the dental remains from the Middle Neolithic Pitted Ware Culture site Ajvide on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. Teeth (n = 764) from 17 males and 11 females were examined microscopically to document unusual wear, assess wear patterns and oral lesions as evidence of habitual behavior, and determine their effect on the oral health of this population. Five atypical wear types were observed: occlusal facets, occlusal excessive load, labial vertical striae, labial horizontal striae, and interproximal striae. Three oral lesions were recorded: chipping, periapical lesions, and dental tilting. Results indicate that teeth were used in a habitual manner at Ajvide, based on the morphology and regularity of the patterns of atypical wear. Differences were observed between the sexes, indicating gender-related differences in the habitual use of teeth. Some wear categories showed a significant correlation with age, signifying increased or accumulated wear with age. Statistically significant positive correlations were found in the molars between occlusal excessive load wear and periapical lesions as well as tilting. Other apparent links were also observed between chipping and vertical striae as well as excessive load, although these were not significant. This suggests a relationship between dental wear and dental pathologies at this site, suggesting that habitual use of teeth indirectly affected the general oral health at the site. Wear patterns, furthermore, seem to mirror both frequent activities as well as single events., (Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)