Article

Personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and self-reported asthma-related health

Details

Citation

McCarron A, Semple S, Braban CF, Gillespie C, Swanson V & Price HD (2023) Personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and self-reported asthma-related health. Social Science & Medicine, 337, Art. No.: 116293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116293

Abstract
PM2.5 (fine particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter) is a key pollutant that can produce acute asthma exacerbations and longer-term deterioration of respiratory health. Individual exposure to PM2.5 is unique and varies across microenvironments. Low-cost sensors (LCS) can collect data at a spatiotemporal resolution previously unattainable, allowing the study of exposures across microenvironments. The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of personal exposure to PM2.5 on self-reported asthma-related health. Twenty-eight non-smoking adults with asthma living in Scotland collected PM2.5 personal exposure data using LCS. Measurements were made at a 2-min time resolution for a period of 7 days as participants conducted their typical daily routines. Concurrently, participants were asked to keep a detailed time-activity diary, logging their activities and microenvironments, along with hourly information on their respiratory health and medication use. Health outcomes were modelled as a function of hourly PM2.5 concentration (plus 1- and 2-h lag) using generalized mixed-effects models adjusted for temperature and relative humidity. Personal exposures to PM2.5 varied across microenvironments, with the largest average microenvironmental exposure observed in private residences (11.5 ± 48.6 μg/m3) and lowest in the work microenvironment (2.9 ± 11.3 μg/m3). The most frequently reported asthma symptoms, wheezing, chest tightness and cough, were reported on 3.4%, 1.6% and 1.6% of participant-hours, respectively. The odds of reporting asthma symptoms increased per interquartile range (IQR) in PM2.5 exposure (odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% CI 1.07–1.54) for same-hour exposure. Despite this, no association was observed between reliever inhaler use (non-routine, non-exercise related) and PM2.5 exposure (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.71–1.48). Current air quality monitoring practices are inadequate to detect acute asthma symptom prevalence resulting from PM2.5 exposure; to detect these requires high-resolution air quality data and health information collected in situ. Personal exposure monitoring could have significant implications for asthma self-management and clinical practice.

Keywords
Personal exposure; Asthma; Fine particulate matter; Air pollution; Scotland

Journal
Social Science & Medicine: Volume 337

StatusPublished
FundersNatural Environment Research Council
Publication date30/11/2023
Publication date online06/10/2023
Date accepted by journal28/09/2023
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/35559
PublisherElsevier BV
ISSN0277-9536
eISSN0277-9536

People (4)

Miss Amy McCarron

Miss Amy McCarron

Scientific Outreach & Impact Officer, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Dr Heather Price

Dr Heather Price

Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Professor Sean Semple

Professor Sean Semple

Professor, Institute for Social Marketing

Professor Vivien Swanson

Professor Vivien Swanson

Professor, Psychology