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Particulate Matter Not Linked with MS Risk
Environ Int; ePub 2017 Sep 20; Palacios, et al
Exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution was not related to multiple sclerosis (MS) risk, according to a recent study. Researchers conducted a large prospective study of PM exposure and MS risk in 2 prospective cohorts of women: The Nurses Health Study (NHS) and the Nurses Health Study II (NHS II). Participants were followed from 1998 through 2004 in NHS and from 1988 through 2007 for NHS II. They found:
- There were no significant associations between air pollution and MS risk in either cohort.
- Among women in the NHS II, the hazard ratios comparing the top vs bottom quintiles of PM was 1.11, 1.04, and 1.09 for PM10 (≤ 10 μm in diameter), PM2.5 (≤ 2.5 μm in diameter), and PM2.5–10 (2.5 to 10 μm in diameter), respectively, and tests for linear trends were not statistically significant.
- No association between exposure to PM and risk of MS was observed in the NHS.
Citation:
Palacios N, Munger KL, Fitzgerald KC, et al. Exposure to particulate matter air pollution and risk of multiple sclerosis in two large cohorts of US nurses. [Published online ahead of print September 20, 2017]. Environ Int. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2017.07.013.