Trial reportEnvironmental health perspectives2012
Reducing personal exposure to particulate air pollution improves cardiovascular health in patients with coronary heart disease.
Trial report in Environmental health perspectives, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 302 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of environmentally persistent free radical (EPFR) formation, characteristics, and health effects: are there sufficient data for risk assessment?Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part B, Critical reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of respirators to reduce fine particulate matter exposures on blood pressure and heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2022Pooled it
- Individual-level interventions to reduce personal exposure to outdoor air pollution and their effects on people with long-term respiratory conditions.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- A Meta-Prediction ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Pooled it
- Air pollution and venous thrombosis: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2016Pooled it
- Short term exposure to air pollution and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2015Pooled it
- Global association of air pollution and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lancet (London, England) · 2013Pooled it
- Acute health effects of ambient air pollution including ultrafine particles in a semi-experimental setting in young, healthy individuals.Particle and fibre toxicology · 2025Trial
- Effects of face masks on performance and cardiorespiratory response in well-trained athletes.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2022Trial
- Acute Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Effects of Near-Roadway Exposures With and Without N95 Respirators.American journal of hypertension · 2019Trial
- Cardiovascular Benefits of Wearing Particulate-Filtering Respirators: A Randomized Crossover Trial.Environmental health perspectives · 2017Trial
- No oxidative stress or DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after exposure to particles from urban street air in overweight elderly.Mutagenesis · 2015Trial
- Controlled exposure to particulate matter from urban street air is associated with decreased vasodilation and heart rate variability in overweight and older adults.Particle and fibre toxicology · 2015Trial
- A controlled trial of acute effects of human exposure to traffic particles on pulmonary oxidative stress and heart rate variability.Particle and fibre toxicology · 2014Trial
- Assessment of the capacity of vehicle cabin air inlet filters to reduce diesel exhaust-induced symptoms in human volunteers.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2014Trial
- An indoor air filtration study in homes of elderly: cardiovascular and respiratory effects of exposure to particulate matter.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2013Trial
- Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in China: Calling for New-Era Strategies.JACC. Asia · 2026Review
- Environmental modulators of vascular physiology and inflammation.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Association between size-resolved PMScientific reports · 2025Article
- Air Pollution and Its Impact on Health and Performance in Football Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAir pollution exposure increases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is a major global public health concern.
objectivesWe investigated the benefits of reducing personal exposure to urban air pollution in patients with coronary heart disease.
methodsIn an open randomized crossover trial, 98 patients with coronary heart disease walked on a predefined route in central Beijing, China, under different conditions: once while using a highly efficient face mask, and once while not using the mask. Symptoms, exercise, personal air pollution exposure, blood pressure, heart rate, and 12-lead electrocardiography were monitored throughout the 24-hr study period.
resultsAmbient air pollutants were dominated by fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) that was present at high levels [74 μg/m³ for PM(2.5) (PM with aerodynamic diamater <2.5 µm)]. Consistent with traffic-derived sources, this PM contained organic carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and was highly oxidizing, generating large amounts of free radicals. The face mask was well tolerated, and its use was associated with decreased self-reported symptoms and reduced maximal ST segment depression (-142 vs. -156 μV, p = 0.046) over the 24-hr period. When the face mask was used during the prescribed walk, mean arterial pressure was lower (93 ± 10 vs. 96 ± 10 mmHg, p = 0.025) and heart rate variability increased (high-frequency power: 54 vs. 40 msec², p = 0.005; high-frequency normalized power: 23.5 vs. 20.5 msec, p = 0.001; root mean square successive differences: 16.7 vs. 14.8 msec, p = 0.007). However, mask use did not appear to influence heart rate or energy expenditure.
conclusionsReducing personal exposure to air pollution using a highly efficient face mask appeared to reduce symptoms and improve a range of cardiovascular health measures in patients with coronary heart disease. Such interventions to reduce personal exposure to PM air pollution have the potential to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in this highly susceptible population.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.