Acrolein and COPD in a Nationally Representative Sample of United States Adults 55 and Over

摘要

BACKGROUND: Acrolein is an air toxic and tobacco smoke toxicant that laboratory studies suggest may adversely affect pulmonary function. There is strikingly little epidemiology available, however, even though US EPA's 2005 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) estimates that acrolein is responsible for about 75 percent of non-cancer respiratory health effects attributable to air toxics in the United States. AIMS: Characterize the association between model-estimated outdoor acolein exposure and the prevalence of self-reported COPD. METHODS: Sample-weighted statistical analysis characterized the association between self-reported doctor-diagnosed COPD ("emphysema") and NATA acrolein exposure estimates at the census tract geographically linked to residences of subjects ≥55-years-old in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2000 - 2009 (n = 89,475). RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that among never smokers and never & former smokers, outdoor acrolein exposure (1.38E-4 to 4.57E-1 ug/m3) was not associated with COPD prevalence at a statistically significant level, controlling for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Outdoor acrolein exposure is unrelated to COPD prevalence in a nationally representative sample of United States adults 55 and over.