Indoor Air Pollution and Blood Pressure in Adult Women Living in Rural China

BACKGROUND: Almost half of the world's population uses coal and biomass fuels for domestic energy. Limited evidence suggests that exposure to air pollutants from indoor biomass combustion may be associated with elevated blood pressure (BP). OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess the relationship between air pollution exposure from indoor biomass combustion and BP in women in rural China. METHODS: We measured 24-hr personal integrated gravimetric exposure to fine particles 50 years of age, a 1-log-µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure was associated with 4.1 mm Hg higher SBP (95% CI, 1.5 to 6.6; p = 0.002) and 1.8 mm Hg higher DBP (95% CI, 0.4 to 3.2; p = 0.01). PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with SBP among younger women, but the association was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: PM2.5 exposure from biomass combustion may be a risk factor for elevated BP and hence for cardiovascular events. Our findings should be corroborated in longitudinal studies.