Journal Article

Ambient PM gross β-activity and glucose levels during pregnancy

O’Brien, Karen E., McElrath, Thomas F., Wang, Veronica A., Hauser, Russ, Quinn, Marlee, Williams, Paige L., Bellavia, Andrea, Hacker, Michele R., Papatheodorou, Stefania, James-Todd, Tamarra, Wylie, Blair J.

2021

Overview

Background Exposure to ionizing radiation has been associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In light of recent work showing an association between ambient particulate matter (PM) gross β-activity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women, we examined pregnancy glucose levels in relation to PM gross β-activity to better understand this pathway. Methods Our study included 103 participants receiving prenatal care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. PM gross β-activity was obtained from US Environmental Protection Agency’s RadNet program monitors, and blood glucose levels were obtained from the non-fasting glucose challenge test performed clinically as the first step of the 2-step GDM screening test. For each exposure window we examined (i.e., moving average same-day, one-week, first-trimester, and second-trimester PM gross β-activity), we fitted generalized additive models and adjusted for clinical characteristics, socio-demographic factors, temporal variables, and PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ). Subgroup analyses by maternal age and by body mass index were also conducted. Results An interquartile range increase in average PM gross β-activity during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increase of 17.5 (95% CI: 0.8, 34.3) mg/dL in glucose concentration. Associations were stronger among younger and overweight/obese participants. Our findings also suggest that the highest compared to the lowest quartile of one-week exposure was associated with 17.0 (95% CI: − 4.0, 38.0) mg/dL higher glucose levels. No associations of glucose were observed with PM gross β-activity during same-day and first-trimester exposure windows. PM 2.5 was not associated with glucose levels during any exposure window in our data. Conclusions Exposure to higher levels of ambient PM gross β-activity was associated with higher blood glucose levels in pregnant patients, with implications for how this novel environmental factor could impact pregnancy health.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Blood / Blood glucose / Body mass index / Body size / Body weight / Demographic variables / Diabetes mellitus / Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent) / Earth and Environmental Science / Educational attainment / Environment / Environmental Epidemiology / Environmental factors / Environmental Health / Environmental protection / Ethnicity / Exposure / Fasting / Gestational diabetes / Glucose / Glucose metabolism / Health care facilities / Insulin / Insulin resistance / Ionizing radiation / Nitrogen dioxide / Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine / Overweight / Oxidative stress / Particle radioactivity / Particulate emissions / Particulate matter / Pregnancy / Pregnancy complications / Public Health / Radiation / Subgroups / Womens health