Antioxidant and Systemic Symptoms Evaluation in Areas with Different Air Pollution Levels - Abstract
Background: The WHO has identified ambient air pollution as a high public health priority. The community health research programs that were performed by Tikrit University College of Medicine have estimated that more than a fourth of Iraqi populations were presented with illnesses which may be due environmental etiology.
Objective: Investigate whether outdoor air pollution associated with oxidative stress.
Methodology: Study field divided in to four regions [A, B, C and D] according to pollution density. Area D represents the control area. Concentration of toxic gases in the air was determined using MIR9000 instrument.. Concentration of particulate matters in the air was determined using BETA5M instrument. Sub indices of SO2, NO2 , CO, O3, PM and H2
S were determined from their concentrations in air. Then these indices aggregated to yield an overall air pollution index. To clarify oxidative stress association with indoor air pollution, 50 blood and urine samples were collected from polluted (A, B, C] and control areas for determination of Malondialdehyde, Total Antioxidant Capacity 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG).
Results: Air pollution was a higher risk factor for development of eye symptoms and lower for airway symptoms. Urinary 8-OHdG, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TCA) concentrations were significantly related to number of SBS/SHS symptoms. There was a highly significantly correlation between visual analogue scale for each symptom type and their frequency, aggregated pollution indices of the pollutants, sub indices of pollutants, oxidative biomarkers.
Conclusion: Air pollution was with impact on individuals’ health and the effect was correlated to concentration of pollution.