The effects of indoor particle exposure on blood pressure and heart rate among young adults: An air filtration-based intervention study

This study aims to evaluate whether air filtration can modify the effect of indoor particles on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in a young, healthy population. We recruited 60 students to participate in a study of multiple, prolonged exposures to either particle-filtered or non-filtered indoor air. We made four home visits in which we took continuous 48-hour measurements of systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and HR in each participant. Particulate matter less than 2.5μm in diameter (PM_2.5) and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured at each participant's home. We used mixed-effects models to associate BP and HR with indoor particles and total VOCs, which were averaged over 1-hour to 8-hour periods prior to physiological measurements. We found that the mean values for indoor PM_2.5 exposures at 1-hour to 4-hour were associated with an elevation in SBP, DBP and HR. The effects of indoor PM_2.5 on BP and HR were greatest during the visits without air filtration. During visits with air filtration, participants showed no significant change in BP and HR in response to indoor PM_2.5 exposure. We concluded that air filtration can reduce indoor PM_2.5 concentrations and modify the effect of PM_2.5 on BP and HR in a healthy, young population.