Acute Differences in Inflammatory Biomarkers Following Controlled Exposures to Cookstove Air Pollution in the STOVES Study
Year: 2020
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Background/Aim: Household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels is an important risk factor for global morbidity and mortality. Improved cookstoves have been designed and distributed to reduce household air pollution exposures, but whether such stoves meaningfully improve health remains unclear. We used a crossover design in a laboratory setting to assess the effect of pollution emitted from multiple cookstoves on acute differences in inflammatory biomarkers in healthy, young adults.Methods: Participants (n=48) were assigned to treatment sequences of 2-hour controlled exposures to air pollution emitted from five cookstoves and a filtered-air control. The treatments, administered at least 2 weeks apart, each had a fine particulate matter target concentration (µg/m3): control (0); liquefied petroleum gas (10); gasifier (35); fan rocket (100); rocket elbow (250); and three stone fire (500). Inflammatory biomarkers were measured before and 0, 3, and 24 hours after treatments: intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8. We used linear mixed models to assess differences in inflammatory biomarkers for treatments versus control.Results: ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were higher 3 hours after all cookstove treatments (relative to control). For example, 3 hours after the three stone fire treatment, ICAM-1 was 13.1 ng/mL (95% confidence interval: 2.0, 24.3) higher than control and VCAM-1 was 6.9 ng/mL (-2.1, 16.0) higher than control. There was also evidence that CRP was higher 24 hours after cookstove treatments versus control, although confidence intervals were wide. Differences for outcomes at other time points were not consistent.Conclusions: Short-term controlled exposures to air pollution from improved and traditional cookstoves acutely impact vascular adhesion molecules and CRP. These findings may provide insight into the initial, underlying health impacts following cookstove air pollution exposures. This abstract does not represent EPA policy.
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Language: English
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3168790672