Reducing PM-associated CV Health Effects for Seniors

The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of air filtration at reducing personal-level exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mitigating related cardiovascular (CV) health effects among older adults in a residential facility in a representative US urban location. We enrolled 40 nonsmoking older adults into a randomized double-blind crossover intervention study with daily CV health outcomes and PM2.5 exposure measurements. The study was conducted in a low-income senior living apartment building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Participants were exposed to three 3-day scenarios separated by one-week washout periods: unfiltered ambient air (control), low-efficiency (LE) "HEPA-type", and high-efficiency (HE) "true-HEPA" filtered air using air filtration systems in the bedroom and main living space of each residence. The primary outcome was brachial blood pressure (BP). Secondary outcomes included noninvasive aortic hemodynamics and pulse wave velocity and heart rate variability. PM2.5 exposures were measured in the participants' residences as well as by personal-level monitoring.