Heart Rate Variability and Particulate Exposures among Boilermaker Construction Workers
Author Information
Author(s): Jennifer M. Cavallari, Ellen A. Eisen, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, Shona C. Fang, Christine B. Dobson, Joel Schwartz, David C. Christiani
Primary Institution: Harvard School of Public Health
Hypothesis
We hypothesized that workday particulate exposures would be associated with declines in 24-hr, day and night HRV and that night would best capture this association among the boilermaker cohort.
Conclusion
Metal-rich particulate exposures were associated with decreased long-duration HRV, especially at night.
Supporting Evidence
- Mean PM2.5 exposure was 0.73 ± 0.50 mg/m3.
- A 1-mg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a change of −8.32 msec nighttime rMSSD.
- Statistically significant differences were found between work and nonwork HRV measures for rMSSD and SDNNi.
Takeaway
Boilermakers who are exposed to metal-rich particles while working have lower heart rate variability, especially at night, which could be bad for their heart health.
Methodology
We used 24-hr ambulatory electrocardiograms (ECGs) to monitor 36 male boilermaker welders over a workday and nonworkday, analyzing HRV in the time domain and monitoring PM2.5 exposures.
Potential Biases
Potential confounding factors such as caffeine or alcohol consumption were not controlled for during work and nonwork comparisons.
Limitations
The study's small sample size limits generalizability, and the unique metal-rich particulate exposures may not reflect typical community exposures.
Participant Demographics
The study population consisted of 36 males with a mean age of 41 years; 81% were white.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
−16.29 to −0.35
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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