{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter constituents and cognitive impairment among older adults: An 18-year Chinese nationwide cohort study.
{Author}: Qi J;Zhao N;Liu M;Guo Y;Fu J;Zhang Y;Wang W;Su Z;Zeng Y;Yao Y;Hu K;
{Journal}: J Hazard Mater
{Volume}: 468
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Apr 15
{Factor}: 14.224
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133785
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Although growing evidence has shown independent links of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with cognitive impairment, the effects of its constituents remain unclear. This study aims to explore the associations of long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 constituents' mixture with cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults, and to further identify the main contributor.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>15,274 adults ≥ 65 years old were recruited by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS) and followed up through 7 waves during 2000-2018. Concentrations of ambient PM2.5 and its constituents (i.e., black carbon [BC], organic matter [OM], ammonium [NH4+], sulfate [SO42-], and nitrate [NO3-]) were estimated by satellite retrievals and machine learning models. Quantile-based g-computation model was employed to assess the joint effects of a mixture of 5 PM2.5 constituents and their relative contributions to cognitive impairment. Analyses stratified by age group, sex, residence (urban vs. rural), and region (north vs. south) were performed to identify vulnerable populations.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>During the average 3.03 follow-up visits (89,296.9 person-years), 4294 (28.1%) participants had developed cognitive impairment. The adjusted hazard ratio [HR] (95% confidence interval [CI]) for cognitive impairment for every quartile increase in mixture exposure to 5 PM2.5 constituents was 1.08 (1.05-1.11). BC held the largest index weight (0.69) in the positive direction in the qg-computation model, followed by OM (0.31). Subgroup analyses suggested stronger associations in younger old adults and rural residents.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5, particularly its constituents BC and OM, is associated with an elevated risk of cognitive impairment onset among Chinese older adults.