Low levels of fine particulate matter increase vascular damage and reduce pulmonary function in young healthy adults

BACKGROUND: Fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) related mild inflammation, altered autonomic control of cardiovascular function, and changes to cell function have been observed in controlled human exposure studies. METHODS: To measure the systemic and cardiopulmonary impacts of low-level PM exposure, we exposed 20 healthy, young volunteers to PM(2.5), in the form of concentrated ambient particles (mean: 37.8 μg/m(3), SD 6.5), and filtered air (mean: 2.1 μg/m(3), SD 2.6). In this double-blind, crossover study the exposure order was randomized. During the 4 h exposure, volunteers (7 females and 13 males) underwent light intensity exercise to regulate ventilation rate. We measured pulmonary, cardiac, and hematologic end points before exposure, 1 h after exposure, and again 20 h after exposure. RESULTS: Low-level PM(2.5) resulted in both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary changes characterized by alterations in systematic inflammation markers, cardiac repolarization, and decreased pulmonary function. A mean increase in PM(2.5) concentration (37.8 μg/m(3)) significantly increased serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), 1 h after exposure by 8.7, 9.1, 10.7, and 6.6%, respectively, relative to the filtered air control. SAA remained significantly elevated (34.6%) 20 h after PM(2.5) exposure which was accompanied by a 5.7% decrease in percent neutrophils. Decreased pulmonary function was observed 1 h after exposure through a 0.8 and 1.2% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and FEV(1)/ forced vital capacity (FEV(1)/FVC) respectively. Additionally, sex specific changes were observed in repolarization outcomes following PM(2.5) exposure. In males, P-wave and QRS complex were increased by 15.4 and 5.4% 1 h after exposure. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first controlled human exposure study to demonstrate biological effects in response to exposure to concentrated ambient air PM(2.5) particles at levels near the PM(2.5) US NAAQS standard. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier: NCT03232086. The study was registered retrospectively on July 25, 2017, prior to final data collection on October 25, 2017 and data analysis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12989-020-00389-5.