Effects of short-term exposures to ultrafine particles near an airport in healthy subjects

Background: Recent studies reported elevated concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP) near airports. Little is known about the health effects of UFP from aviation. Since UFP can deposit deep into the lungs and other organs, they may cause significant adverse health effects. Objective: We investigated health effects of controlled short-term human exposure to UFP near a major airport. Methods: In this study, 21 healthy non-smoking volunteers (age range: 18–35 years) were repeatedly (2–5 visits) exposed for 5 h to ambient air near Schiphol Airport, while performing intermittent moderate exercise (i.e. cycling). Pre- to post-exposure changes in cardiopulmonary outcomes (spirometry, forced exhaled nitric oxide, electrocardiography and blood pressure) were assessed and related to total- and size-specific particle number concentrations (PNC), using linear mixed effect models. Results: The PNC was on average 53,500 particles/cm3 (range 10,500–173,200). A 5–95th percentile increase in exposure to UFP (i.e. 125,400 particles/cm3) was associated with a decrease in FVC of −73.8 mL (95% CI −138.8 – −0.4) and a prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval by 9.9 ms (95% CI 2.0 – 19.1). These effects were associated with particles < 20 nm (mainly UFP from aviation), but not with particles > 50 nm (mainly UFP from road traffic). Discussion: Short-term exposures to aviation-related UFP near a major airport, was associated with decreased lung function (mainly FVC) and a prolonged QTc interval in healthy volunteers. The effects were relatively small, however, they appeared after single exposures of 5 h in young healthy adults. As this study cannot make any inferences about long-term health impacts, appropriate studies investigating potential health effects of long-term exposure to airport-related UFP, are urgently needed.