Long-term exposure to ambient ozone and cardiovascular diseases: Evidence from two national cohort studies in China

Abstract

Introduction: The health effects of ambient ozone have been investigated in many previous studies. However, the effects of long-term exposure to ambient ozone on the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain inconclusive. Objectives: To estimate the associations of long-term exposure to maximum daily 8-hours average ozone (MDA8 O3) with the incidence of total CVD, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study, and the data was obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) implemented during 2011–2018 and the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) implemented during 2010–2018. We applied a Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the associations of MDA8 O3 with total CVD, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke risks, and the corresponding population-attributable fractions (PAF) attributable to MDA8 O3 were also calculated. All analyses were conducted by R software. Results: The mean MDA8 O3 concertation of all included participants in the CHARLS and CFPS were 51.03 part per billion (ppb) and 51.15 ppb, respectively. In the CHARLS including 18,177 participants, each 10 ppb increment in MDA8 O3 concentration was associated with a 31% increase [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22–1.42] in the risk of incident heart disease, and the corresponding population-attributable fractions (PAF) was 13.79% [10.12%-17.32%]. In the CFPS including 30,226 participants, each 10 ppb increment in MDA8 O3 concentration was associated with an increase in the risk of incident total CVD (1.07 [1.02–1.13]), and hypertension (1.10 [1.03–1.18]). The PAFs of total CVD, and hypertension attributable to MDA8 O3 were 3.53% [0.82%-6.16%], and 5.11% [1.73%-8.38%], respectively. Stratified analyses showed greater associations in males, urban areas, and Southern China. Conclusions: Long-term exposure to MDA8 O3 may increase the incidence of CVD. Therefore, the policies that control O3 and related precursors are persistently needed.

Keywords

• Air pollution
• Ambient ozone
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Disease burden
• Cohort study