Markers of Cardiovascular Disease among Adults Exposed to Smoke from the Hazelwood Coal Mine Fire

Juliana Betts, Elizabeth M. Dewar, Dion Stub, Caroline X. Gao, David W. Brown, Jillian F. Ikin, Berihun M. Zeleke, Sinjini Biswas, Michael J. Abramson and Danny Liew
Additional contact information
Juliana Betts: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Elizabeth M. Dewar: Department of Cardiology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Dion Stub: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Caroline X. Gao: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
David W. Brown: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Jillian F. Ikin: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Berihun M. Zeleke: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Sinjini Biswas: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Michael J. Abramson: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Danny Liew: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Little research has examined the effects of high concentration, medium-duration smoke exposure on cardiovascular health. We investigated whether six weeks of exposure to smoke from the 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire in Victoria (Australia), was associated with long-term clinical or subclinical cardiovascular disease approximately four years later, in adult residents of the towns of Morwell (exposed, n = 336) and Sale (unexposed, n = 162). The primary outcome was serum high sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protein (CRP). Blood pressure, electrocardiogram, flow mediated dilatation and serum levels of hs-troponin, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide and lipids were secondary outcomes. There was no significant difference in weighted median hsCRP levels between exposed and unexposed participants (1.9 mg/L vs. 1.6 mg/L, p = 0.273). Other outcomes were comparable between the groups. hsCRP was associated in a predictable manner with current smoking, obesity and use of lipid-lowering therapy. Four years after a 6-week coal mine fire, this study found no association between smoke exposure and markers of clinical or subclinical cardiovascular disease in exposed adults.

Keywords: cardiac risk factors and prevention; inflammatory markers; epidemiology; coronary artery disease (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1587/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1587/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:1587-:d:495419

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().