Short-term effects of air pollution on oxygen saturation in a cohort of senior adults in Steubenville, Ohio.

OBJECTIVE

We examine whether ambient air pollution is associated with oxygen saturation in 32 elderly subjects in Steubenville, Ohio.

METHODS

We used linear mixed models to examine the effects of fine particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM(2.5)), sulfate (SO(4)(-2)), elemental carbon, and gases on median oxygen saturation.

RESULTS

An interquartile range increase of 13.4 μg/m in PM(2.5) on the previous day was associated with a decrease of -0.18% (95% confidence interval: -0.31 to -0.06) and a 5.1 μg/m(3) interquartile range increase in SO(4)(-2) on the previous day was associated with a decrease of -0.16% (95% confidence interval: -0.27 to -0.04) in oxygen saturation during the initial 5-minute rest period of the protocol.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased exposure to air pollution, including the nontraffic pollutant SO(4)(-2) from industrial sources, led to changes in oxygen saturation that may reflect particle-induced pulmonary inflammatory or vascular responses.