Project 1

VOCs and cardiometabolic injury

Sidebar

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are airborne toxicants abundant in outdoor and indoor air. High levels of VOCs are also present at various Superfund and hazardous waste sites. Our previous studies demonstrated that exposure to VOCs is associated with non-obstructive coronary artery disease and may contribute to elevated risk of hypertension. For a more comprehensive analysis of VOC exposure and human health, a new method was established for the analyses of urinary metabolites, or substances that appear in urine as a result of the breakdown of food, drugs or chemicals, especially VOCs.

In addition to VOCs released by human activity, VOCs derived from plants (bVOCs) could also affect human health. Therefore, new methods were developed for measuring urinary metabolites of chemicals such as limonene, a bVOC emitted by many plants and trees. After study participants inhaled limonene, urinary levels of most abundant limonene metabolites were elevated. Levels were also elevated after brief exposure to a forested area.   

To examine VOC exposure and identify its sources and co-pollutants at a neighborhood level, the center conducted a detailed evaluation of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposure. TRAP is the primary source of variability in intraurban air quality, but continuous regulatory monitoring stations lack the spatial resolution to detect fine-scale pollutant patterns that recent studies using long-term, resource-intensive mobile measurements have established as persistent and associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events. This work evaluates a low-cost, fixed-site approach to characterizing long-term, hyperlocal exposure to oxides of nitrogen (including NO 2, a common surrogate for TRAP) as part of the Green Heart Louisville project, a study examining linkages between urban vegetation, local air quality and cardiovascular health. Studies are ongoing to examine the association between VOC, bVOC and confounders such as TRAP exposure on cardiometabolic health and biomarkers of cardiometabolic toxicity.  

 

Project 1 Faculty