Ambient Coarse Particulate Matter and the Right Ventricle: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND: Coarse particulate matter ([Formula: see text]) is primarily mechanically generated and includes crustal material, brake and tire wear, and biological particles. [Formula: see text] is associated with pulmonary disease, which can lead to right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. Although RV characteristics have been associated with combustion-related pollutants, relationships with [Formula: see text] remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To quantify cross-sectional associations between RV dysfunction and [Formula: see text] mass and components among older adults and susceptible populations. METHODS: We used baseline cardiac magnetic resonance images from 1,490 participants (45–84 y old) from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and assigned 5-y residential concentrations of [Formula: see text] mass, copper, zinc, phosphorus, silicon, and endotoxin, using land-use regression models. We quantified associations with RV mass, end-diastolic volume, and ejection fraction after control for risk factors and copollutants using linear regression. We further examined personal susceptibility. RESULTS: We found positive associations of RV mass and, to a lesser extent, end diastolic volume with [Formula: see text] mass among susceptible populations including smokers and persons with emphysema. After adjustment for copollutants, an interquartile range increase in [Formula: see text] mass ([Formula: see text]) was associated with [Formula: see text] (95% CI: 0.0, 1.0), [Formula: see text] (95% CI: 0.1, 1.7), and [Formula: see text] (95% CI: 0.4, 2.5) larger RV mass among former smokers, current smokers, and persons with emphysema, respectively. No associations were found with healthy individuals or with ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations to RV structure may represent a mechanism by which long-term [Formula: see text] exposure increases risks for adverse respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes, especially among certain susceptible populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP658