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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

endothelial dysfunction, fine particulate pollution, coal combustion

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Economics

Abstract

Exposure to elevated concentrations of ambient particulate matter (PM) has been implicated as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Short-term elevated PM exposures and related inflammation may contribute to acute complications of atherosclerosis by accelerating the progression of atherosclerosis, and triggering plaque rupture. Empirical evidence (Brook et al. 2002) suggests that endothelial dysfunction promoted by systemic inflammation related to PM exposure may lie at the heart of the problem. Our experiment examines the effect of short-term exposure to elevated PM levels on endothelial function using a non-invasive procedure called peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT). Using the Endo-PAT 2000 (Itamar Med. Ltd., Caesarea, Israel), we measured the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), a measure of endothelial function, of twelve healthy, non-smoking, college-aged subjects. Measurements were taken six times over two six hour periods in both controlled exposure and controlled clean room environments. During the exposure period, pollution from a coal furnace was used to maintain PM concentrations between 150-200 µg/m3 in the exposure room. Data from the Endo-PAT measurements were collected and analyzed using regression analysis. Controlling for time trends, temperature, baseline heart rate, and individual specific fix effects, PM exposure was not significantly correlated with a change in endothelial function. Future research examining the effects of aged particles on endothelial function need to be conducted because they occur more frequently in outdoor environments.

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