1. Prenatal and Childhood Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure and Telomere Length in European Children: The HELIX Project
- Author
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Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen, Marina Vafeiadi, Diana B.P. Clemente, Rémy Slama, Tim S. Nawrot, Ibon Tamayo, Regina Grazuleviciene, Léa Maitre, Martine Vrijheid, Mariona Bustamante, John Wright, Per E. Schwarze, Rosie McEachan, Johanna Lepeule, Kristine B. Gutzkow, Leda Chatzi, Asta Danileviciute, Dries S. Martens, Oliver Robinson, Montserrat de Castro, Complexe Genetica, RS: NUTRIM - R3 - Respiratory & Age-related Health, and Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Subjects
Male ,Traffic-Related Pollution ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Air pollution exposure ,05 Environmental Sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,Toxicology ,01 natural sciences ,Cohort Studies ,0302 clinical medicine ,USE REGRESSION-MODELS ,PARTICULATE MATTER ,CHAINED EQUATIONS ,11. Sustainability ,Leukocytes ,Medicine ,Ion-Models ,030212 general & internal medicine ,11 Medical and Health Sciences ,Telomere Shortening ,media_common ,Public, Environmental & Occupational Health ,2. Zero hunger ,RISK ,Air Pollutants ,Environmental exposure ,3. Good health ,Europe ,PREGNANCY ,Maternal Exposure ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,HEALTH ,Life Sciences & Biomedicine ,Pollution ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Nitrogen Dioxide ,Environmental Sciences & Ecology ,03 medical and health sciences ,MULTIPLE IMPUTATION ,Environmental health ,Air Pollution ,Humans ,CELL ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Science & Technology ,business.industry ,Research ,MORTALITY ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Infant ,Environmental Exposure ,Telomere ,Multicenter study ,13. Climate action ,COHORT PROFILE ,business ,Environmental Sciences - Abstract
Background: Telomere length is a molecular marker of biological aging. Objective: Here we investigated whether early-life exposure to residential air pollution was associated with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) at 8 y of age. Methods: In a multicenter European birth cohort study, HELIX (Human Early Life Exposome) ([Formula: see text]), we estimated prenatal and 1-y childhood exposure to nitrogen dioxide ([Formula: see text]), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), and proximity to major roads. Average relative LTL was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Effect estimates of the association between LTL and prenatal, 1-y childhood air pollution, and proximity to major roads were calculated using multiple linear mixed models with a random cohort effect and adjusted for relevant covariates. Results: LTL was inversely associated with prenatal and 1-y childhood [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] exposures levels. Each standard deviation (SD) increase in prenatal [Formula: see text] was associated with a [Formula: see text] (95% CI: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) change in LTL. Prenatal [Formula: see text] was nonsignificantly associated with LTL ([Formula: see text] per SD increase; 95% CI: [Formula: see text], 0.6). For each SD increment in 1-y childhood [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] exposure, LTL shortened by [Formula: see text] (95% CI: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text] (95% CI: [Formula: see text], 0.1), respectively. Each doubling in residential distance to nearest major road during childhood was associated with a 1.6% (95% CI: 0.02, 3.1) lengthening in LTL. Conclusion: Lower exposures to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood were associated with longer telomeres in European children at 8 y of age. These results suggest that reductions in traffic-related air pollution may promote molecular longevity, as exemplified by telomere length, from early life onward. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4148. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 308333 (the HELIX project) and from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI15/00118, including The European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)). T.S.N. was funded by the EU Program “Ideas” (ERC-2012-StG 310898). ISGlobal is a member of the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. We are grateful to all the participating families in the six countries who took part in this study.
- Published
- 2019