Association of long-term exposure to PM2.5 in workplace with fasting plasma glucose among asymptomatic adults: A multicenter study in North China

Jiangshan He; Songhua Hu; Ximing Xu; Pei Guo; Yujie Niu; Jingbo Zhang; Rong Zhang; Shuo Chen; Shitao Ma; Feng Liu; Qiang Li; Chunjun Li; Li Zhang; Ying Wu; Mianzhi Zhang; Minying Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107353

Association of long-term exposure to PM_2.5 in workplace with fasting plasma glucose among asymptomatic adults: A multicenter study in North China

Environ Int. 2022 Aug:166:107353. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107353. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Authors

Jiangshan He¹, Songhua Hu², Ximing Xu³, Pei Guo¹, Yujie Niu⁴, Jingbo Zhang⁵, Rong Zhang⁶, Shuo Chen⁷, Shitao Ma⁸, Feng Liu⁹, Qiang Li⁵, Chunjun Li¹⁰, Li Zhang¹¹, Ying Wu¹², Mianzhi Zhang¹³, Minying Zhang¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
² School of Statistics and Data Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: 1120200051@mail.nankai.edu.cn.
³ Big Data Center for Children's Medical Care, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: ximing@hospital.cqmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Hebei Key Laboratory of Environment and Human Health, Shijiazhuang, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China. Electronic address: yjniu@hebmu.edu.cn.
⁵ Beijing Physical Examination Center, Beijing, China.
⁶ Hebei Key Laboratory of Environment and Human Health, Shijiazhuang, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China. Electronic address: rongzhang@hebmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Beijing Physical Examination Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: cs@bjtjzx.com.
⁸ Hebei Key Laboratory of Environment and Human Health, Shijiazhuang, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁹ Beijing Physical Examination Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: liufeng@bjtjzx.com.
¹⁰ Tianjin People's Hospital, Tianjin, China.
¹¹ Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
¹² School of Statistics and Data Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: ywu@nankai.edu.cn.
¹³ Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhangmianzhi@vip.sina.com.
¹⁴ School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: zhangminying@nankai.edu.cn.

PMID: 35749995
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107353

Abstract

Background: The impacts of long-term high exposure to PM_2.5 in workplace on glucose metabolism in asymptomatic working adults (AWAs) have rarely been explored.

Objectives: To assess the relationship between long-term exposure to workplace PM_2.5 and glucose metabolism in asymptomatic general working adults in heavily polluted regions.

Methods: We used the baseline data of the asymptomatic working participants from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Medical Examination Cohort, which recruited adults undergoing medical examinations. A machine learning-based spatial-temporal model was used to estimate daily average PM_2.5 concentrations in the participants' workplaces. We assessed the association of long-term PM_2.5 concentrations (three years prior to the interview) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) using generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMM) with inclusion of potential confounders. Stratified analyses by sex, age, BMI and smoking status, and two pollutant models were further performed.

Results: A total of 37,619 individuals were interviewed and 28,865 were included in the analyses. The mean FPG was 5.20 (0.96) mmol/L, and the estimated three-year average concentration of PM_2.5 exposure was 69.51 (6.92) μg/m³. We detected a significant association of long-term exposure to workplace PM_2.5 and FPG, a 10 µg/m³ increase in the long-term workplace PM_2.5 exposure was associated with 0.075 (95%CI: 0.050-0.100) mmol/L elevated FPG and 25% (OR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.05-1.50) elevated odds of abnormal fasting glucose metabolism with control of the potential confounding. The detected association between workplace PM_2.5 and FPG metabolism remained significant in males, individuals aged > 44 years, overweight and/or obese people, both smokers and non-smokers, and when NO₂, SO₂, O₃, and CO were included in the model.

Conclusions: Long-term exposure to workplace PM_2.5 was associated with elevated FPG and/or odds of abnormal glucose metabolism among AWAs. Male, middle-aged, overweight and/or obese AWAs were more susceptible to workplace PM_2.5 regardless of smoking status.

Keywords: Fasting plasma glucose; General working populations; Generalized linear mixed-effects models; Glucose metabolism; PM(2.5).