Personal NO 2 and Volatile Organic Compounds Exposure Levels are Associated with Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in Women in the Cape Town Region of South Africa

Frans Everson, Patrick De Boever, Tim S. Nawrot, Nandu Goswami, Mashudu Mthethwa, Ingrid Webster, Dries S. Martens, Nyiko Mashele, Sana Charania, Festus Kamau and Hans Strijdom
Additional contact information
Frans Everson: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Patrick De Boever: Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium
Tim S. Nawrot: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Nandu Goswami: Division of Physiology, Otto Loewi Research Center of Vascular Biology, Immunity and Inflammation, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
Mashudu Mthethwa: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Ingrid Webster: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Dries S. Martens: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Nyiko Mashele: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Sana Charania: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Festus Kamau: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Hans Strijdom: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town 8000, South Africa

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-18

Abstract: Exposure to ambient NO 2 and benzene, toluene ethyl-benzene and m+p- and o-xylenes (BTEX) is associated with adverse cardiovascular effects, but limited information is available on the effects of personal exposure to these compounds in South African populations. This 6-month follow-up study aims to determine 7-day personal ambient NO 2 and BTEX exposure levels via compact passive diffusion samplers in female participants from Cape Town, and investigate whether exposure levels are associated with cardiovascular risk markers. Overall, the measured air pollutant exposure levels were lower compared to international standards. NO 2 was positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and inversely associated with the central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) and mean baseline brachial artery diameter. o-xylene was associated with DBP and benzene was strongly associated with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT). Our findings showed that personal air pollution exposure, even at relatively low levels, was associated with several markers of cardiovascular risk in women residing in the Cape Town region.

Keywords: air pollution; nitrogen dioxide; BTEX; cardiovascular risk; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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