This is how air pollution is worsening your bone health: Study

Lucknow: The alarming situation of high levels of pollution in various states of the country is the major concern. It not only affects once lifestyle but harms the internal organs reducing almost three years of their life.

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A recent study in India has found an association between exposure to air pollution and poor bone health. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of the bone begin to decline.

Globally, it is responsible for a substantial burden of disease and its prevalence is expected to increase due to aging of the population.

What is the study all about?

The new study was published in Jama Network Open which analysed the association between air pollution and bone health in over 3,700 people from 28 villages outside the city of Hyderabad, in southern India.

The authors used a locally-developed model to estimate outdoor exposure at residence to air pollution by fine particulate matter (suspended particles with a diameter of 2.5 mm or less) and black carbon. The participants also filled a questionnaire on the type of fuel used for cooking.

The authors linked this information with bone health assessed using a special type of radiography that measures bone density, called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and measured bone mass at the lumbar spine and the left hip.

What were the results?

The results showed that exposure to ambient air pollution, particularly to fine particles, was associated with lower levels of bone mass. No correlation was found with the use of biomass fuel for cooking.

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"This study contributes to the limited and inconclusive literature on air pollution and bone health," explains Otavio T. Ranzani, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.

Regarding the possible mechanisms underlying this association, he says "inhalation of polluting particles could lead to bone mass loss through the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by air pollution".

Annual average exposure to ambient PM2.5 was 32.8 mg/m3, far above the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (10 mg/m3). 58 percent of participants used biomass fuel for cooking.

"Our findings add to a growing body of evidence that indicates that particulate air pollution is relevant for bone health across a wide range of air pollution levels, including levels found in high income and low-and medium-income countries," says Cathryn Tonne, coordinator of the study and of the CHAI project.

However, there are several measures taken up by the Indian government in order to curb the high levels of pollution and to protect the health of its citizens.

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