Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Osteoporosis International
Published in: Osteoporosis International 10/2010

01-10-2010 | Original Article

Outdoor air pollution, bone density and self-reported forearm fracture: the Oslo Health Study

Authors: K. Alver, H. E. Meyer, J. A. Falch, A. J. Søgaard

Published in: Osteoporosis International | Issue 10/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Summary

Air pollution is associated with several adverse health outcomes and increased mortality. In the Oslo Health Study, an association between long-term outdoor air pollution exposure and bone health was suggested in men aged 75/76 years, but not in younger men or in women.

Introduction

Associations have been found between air pollution and a range of diseases, but few have studied whether bone health differs according to the concentration of air pollution. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between indicators of air pollution and bone health.

Methods

Self-reported forearm fracture was assessed in men and women 75/76 and 59/60 years (n = 5,976) participating in the Oslo Health Study 2000–2001. In subsamples of the participants (n = 1,039), we studied the relation between air pollution and forearm bone mineral density (BMD) measured by single X-ray absorptiometry. Exposure to air pollution (particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) at each participant’s home address was estimated from 1992 to 2001.

Results

We found no associations between air pollution and self-reported forearm fractures or BMD in men aged 59/60 years or in women. In men aged 75/76 years, an increment of 10 units in PM2.5 was associated with a reduction in distal forearm BMD of 64 mg/cm2 (p < 0.05), and with an increased prevalence of forearm fracture after the age of 50 years among current smokers, OR = 7.4 (p < 0.05). Similar patterns of associations were suggested for PM10 and NO2.

Conclusions

In this study, bone health was not associated with long-term exposure to air pollution in women and in men 59/60 years of age. However, a negative association was suggested in elderly men. Further studies with improved measures of air pollution are warranted.
Literature
1.
Oftedal B, Brunekreef B, Nystad W, Madsen C, Walker SE, Nafstad P (2008) Residential outdoor air pollution and lung function in schoolchildren. Epidemiology 19:129–137CrossRefPubMed
2.
3.
Downs S, Forastiere F, Forsberg B, Hoek G (ed), Katsouyanni K (ed), Pekkanen J, Peters A, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Srám O, Sunyer J, Wichmann HE (2006) Air pollution and the risks to human health - Epidemiology. University of Maastricht, Netherlands. Available via http://​airnet.​iras.​uu.​nl/​. Accessed 19 April 2009
4.
Naess O, Nafstad P, Aamodt G, Claussen B, Rosland P (2007) Relation between concentration of air pollution and cause-specific mortality: four-year exposures to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollutants in 470 neighbourhoods in Oslo, Norway. Am J Epidemiol 165:435–443CrossRefPubMed
5.
6.
Dockery DW, Pope CA III, Xu X, Spengler JD, Ware JH, Fay ME, Ferris BG Jr, Speizer FE (1993) An association between air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities. N Engl J Med 329:1753–1759CrossRefPubMed
7.
Pope CA III, Thun MJ, Namboodiri MM, Dockery DW, Evans JS, Speizer FE, Heath CW Jr (1995) Particulate air pollution as a predictor of mortality in a prospective study of U.S. adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 151:669–674PubMed
8.
Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Thun MJ, Calle EE, Krewski D, Ito K, Thurston GD (2002) Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. JAMA 287:1132–1141CrossRefPubMed
9.
10.
Slørdal LH, Mc Innes H, Krognes T (2008) The air quality information system AirQUIS. Info Tech Env Eng 1:40–47
11.
12.
13.
Brook RD (2008) Cardiovascular effects of air pollution. Clin Sci (Lond) 115:175–187CrossRef
14.
Basu S, Michaelsson K, Olofsson H, Johansson S, Melhus H (2001) Association between oxidative stress and bone mineral density. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 288:275–279CrossRefPubMed
15.
Sanchez-Rodriguez MA, Ruiz-Ramos M, Correa-Munoz E, Mendoza-Nunez VM (2007) Oxidative stress as a risk factor for osteoporosis in elderly Mexicans as characterized by antioxidant enzymes. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 8:124CrossRefPubMed
16.
17.
Lee SH, Kim TS, Choi Y, Lorenzo J (2008) Osteoimmunology: cytokines and the skeletal system. BMB Rep 41:495–510PubMed
18.
Lorenzo J, Horowitz M, Choi Y (2008) Osteoimmunology: interactions of the bone and immune system. Endocr Rev 29:403–440CrossRefPubMed
19.
Akesson A, Bjellerup P, Lundh T, Lidfeldt J, Nerbrand C, Samsioe G, Skerfving S, Vahter M (2006) Cadmium-induced effects on bone in a population-based study of women. Environ Health Perspect 114:830–834CrossRefPubMed
20.
Alfven T, Elinder CG, Hellstrom L, Lagarde F, Jarup L (2004) Cadmium exposure and distal forearm fractures. J Bone Miner Res 19:900–905CrossRefPubMed
21.
Bjora R, Falch JA, Staaland H, Nordsletten L, Gjengedal E (2001) Osteoporosis in the Norwegian moose. Bone 29:70–73CrossRefPubMed
22.
Gruber HE, Gonick HC, Khalil-Manesh F, Sanchez TV, Motsinger S, Meyer M, Sharp CF (1997) Osteopenia induced by long-term, low- and high-level exposure of the adult rat to lead. Miner Electrolyte Metab 23:65–73PubMed
23.
Hu H, Shih R, Rothenberg S, Schwartz BS (2007) The epidemiology of lead toxicity in adults: measuring dose and consideration of other methodologic issues. Environ Health Perspect 115:455–462CrossRefPubMed
24.
Meyer HE, Berntsen GK, Sogaard AJ, Langhammer A, Schei B, Fonnebo V, Forsmo S, Tell GS (2004) Higher bone mineral density in rural compared with urban dwellers: the NOREPOS study. Am J Epidemiol 160:1039–1046CrossRefPubMed
25.
Sanders KM, Nicholson GC, Ugoni AM, Seeman E, Pasco JA, Kotowicz MA (2002) Fracture rates lower in rural than urban communities: the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. J Epidemiol Community Health 56:466–470CrossRefPubMed
26.
Sernbo I, Johnell O, Andersson T (1988) Differences in the incidence of hip fracture. Comparison of an urban and a rural population in southern Sweden. Acta Orthop Scand 59:382–385CrossRefPubMed
27.
Søgaard AJ, Gustad TK, Bjertness E, Tell GS, Schei B, Emaus N, Meyer HE (2007) Urban-rural differences in distal forearm fractures: cohort Norway. Osteoporos Int 18:1063–1072CrossRefPubMed
28.
Alvaer K, Meyer HE, Falch JA, Nafstad P, Sogaard AJ (2007) Outdoor air pollution and bone mineral density in elderly men—the Oslo Health Study. Osteoporos Int 18:1669–1674CrossRefPubMed
29.
Sogaard AJ, Selmer R, Bjertness E, Thelle D (2004) The Oslo Health Study: The impact of self-selection in a large, population-based survey. Int J Equity Health 3:3CrossRefPubMed
30.
Alver K, Meyer HE, Falch JA, Sogaard AJ (2005) Bone mineral density in ethnic Norwegians and Pakistani immigrants living in Oslo—the Oslo Health Study. Osteoporos Int 16:623–630CrossRefPubMed
31.
Berntsen GK. Interpretation of forearm bone mineral density (2000) The Tromsø Study. Thesis. Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway
32.
Berntsen GK, Tollan A, Magnus JH, Sogaard AJ, Ringberg T, Fonnebo V (1999) The Tromso Study: artifacts in forearm bone densitometry—prevalence and effect. Osteoporos Int 10:425–432CrossRefPubMed
33.
34.
Oftedal B, Walker S, Gram F, McInnes H, Nafstad P (2009) Modelling long-term averages of local ambient air pollution in Oslo, Norway: evaluation of nitrogen dioxide, PM10 and PM2. Int J Environ Pollut 36:110–126CrossRef
35.
Brennan SL, Pasco JA, Urquhart DM, Oldenburg B, Hanna F, Wluka AE (2008) The association between socioeconomic status and osteoporotic fracture in population-based adults: a systematic review. Osteoporos Int 20(9):1487–1497CrossRefPubMed
36.
Ho SC, Chen YM, Woo JL (2005) Educational level and osteoporosis risk in postmenopausal Chinese women. Am J Epidemiol 161:680–690CrossRefPubMed
37.
Meyer HE, Henriksen C, Falch JA, Pedersen JI, Tverdal A (1995) Risk factors for hip fracture in a high incidence area: a case-control study from Oslo, Norway. Osteoporos Int 5:239–246CrossRefPubMed
38.
Wang MC, Dixon LB (2006) Socioeconomic influences on bone health in postmenopausal women: findings from NHANES III, 1988–1994. Osteoporos Int 17:91–98CrossRefPubMed
39.
Rothman K, Greenland S (1998) Modern epidemiology. 2nd edn. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Philadephia, USA. pp 115-134
40.
Geller AM, Zenick H (2005) Aging and the environment: a research framework. Environ Health Perspect 113:1257–1262CrossRefPubMed
41.
42.
Campbell JR, Auinger P (2007) The association between blood lead levels and osteoporosis among adults–—results from the third national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES III). Environ Health Perspect 115:1018–1022CrossRefPubMed
43.
Sun Y, Sun D, Zhou Z, Zhu G, Zhang H, Chang X, Lei L, Jin T (2008) Osteoporosis in a Chinese population due to occupational exposure to lead. Am J Ind Med 51:436–442CrossRefPubMed
44.
Vahter M, Akesson A, Liden C, Ceccatelli S, Berglund M (2007) Gender differences in the disposition and toxicity of metals. Environ Res 104:85–95CrossRefPubMed
45.
Jarup L, Alfven T (2004) Low level cadmium exposure, renal and bone effects—the OSCAR study. Biometals 17:505–509CrossRefPubMed
46.
Jarup L, Akesson A (2009) Current status of cadmium as an environmental health problem. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 238:201–208CrossRefPubMed
47.
48.
Baccarelli A, Zanobetti A, Martinelli I, Grillo P, Hou L, Lanzani G, Mannucci PM, Bertazzi PA, Schwartz J (2007) Air pollution, smoking, and plasma homocysteine. Environ Health Perspect 115:176–181CrossRefPubMed
49.
Chen Z, Kooperberg C, Pettinger MB, Bassford T, Cauley JA, LaCroix AZ, Lewis CE, Kipersztok S, Borne C, Jackson RD (2004) Validity of self-report for fractures among a multiethnic cohort of postmenopausal women: results from the Women's Health Initiative observational study and clinical trials. Menopause 11:264–274CrossRefPubMed
50.
Hundrup YA, Hoidrup S, Obel EB, Rasmussen NK (2004) The validity of self-reported fractures among Danish female nurses: comparison with fractures registered in the Danish National Hospital Register. Scand J Public Health 32:136–143CrossRefPubMed
51.
Ivers RQ, Cumming RG, Mitchell P, Peduto AJ (2002) The accuracy of self-reported fractures in older people. J Clin Epidemiol 55:452–457CrossRefPubMed
52.
Joakimsen RM, Fonnebo V, Sogaard AJ, Tollan A, Stormer J, Magnus JH (2001) The Tromso study: registration of fractures, how good are self-reports, a computerized radiographic register and a discharge register? Osteoporos Int 12:1001–1005CrossRefPubMed
53.
Siris ES, Miller PD, Barrett-Connor E, Faulkner KG, Wehren LE, Abbott TA, Berger ML, Santora AC, Sherwood LM (2001) Identification and fracture outcomes of undiagnosed low bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: results from the National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment. JAMA 286:2815–2822CrossRefPubMed
54.
Berntsen GKR, Fonnebo V, Tollan A, Sogaard AJ, Joakimsen RM, Magnus JH (2000) The Tromso study: determinants of precision in bone densitometry. J Clin Epidemiol 53:1104–1112CrossRef
55.
Naess O, Piro FN, Nafstad P, Smith GD, Leyland AH (2007) Air pollution, social deprivation, and mortality: a multilevel cohort study. Epidemiology 18:686–694CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Outdoor air pollution, bone density and self-reported forearm fracture: the Oslo Health Study
Authors
K. Alver
H. E. Meyer
J. A. Falch
A. J. Søgaard
Publication date
01-10-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Osteoporosis International / Issue 10/2010
Print ISSN: 0937-941X
Electronic ISSN: 1433-2965
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-009-1130-8

Other articles of this Issue 10/2010

Osteoporosis International 10/2010 Go to the issue

Original Article

Persistence and switching patterns among women with varied osteoporosis medication histories: 12-month results from POSSIBLE US™

Original Article

Novel ultrasonic bone densitometry based on two longitudinal waves: significant correlation with pQCT measurement values and age-related changes in trabecular bone density, cortical thickness, and elastic modulus of trabecular bone in a normal Japanese population

Review

Depression, fracture risk, and bone loss: a meta-analysis of cohort studies

Original Article

Vitamin K2 supplementation does not influence bone loss in early menopausal women: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial

Original Article

Maternal high-fat diet: effects on offspring bone structure

Original Article

Anemia and the risk of non-vertebral fractures: the Tromsø Study