Long-Term Effects of Ambient Particulate and Gaseous Pollutants on Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study Using KoGES-HEXA Data

Ambient air pollutants reportedly increase inflammatory responses associated with multiple chronic diseases. We investigated the effects of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) using data from 60,581 participants enrolled in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study-Health Examinees Study between 2012 and 2017. Community Multiscale Air Quality System with surface data assimilation was used to estimate the participants’ exposure to criteria air pollutants based on geocoded residential addresses. Long-term exposure was defined as the 2-year moving average concentrations of PM(10), PM(2.5), SO(2), NO(2), and O(3). Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were utilized to estimate the percent changes in hs-CRP and odds ratios of systemic low-grade inflammation (hs-CRP > 3 mg/L) per interquartile range increment in air pollutants. We identified positive associations between hs-CRP and PM(10) (% changes: 3.75 [95% CI 2.68, 4.82]), PM(2.5) (3.68, [2.57, 4.81]), SO(2) (1.79, [1.10, 2.48]), and NO(2) (3.31, [2.12, 4.52]), while negative association was demonstrated for O(3) (−3.81, [−4.96, −2.65]). Elevated risks of low-grade inflammation were associated with PM(10) (odds ratio: 1.07 [95% CI 1.01, 1.13]), PM(2.5) (1.08 [1.02, 1.14]), and SO(2) (1.05 [1.01, 1.08]). The odds ratios reported indicated that the exposures might be risk factors for inflammatory conditions; however, they did not reflect strong associations. Our findings suggest that exposure to air pollutants may play a role in the inflammation process.