Long-term exposure to certain air pollutants was associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published in Blood. In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, Pamela Lutsey, PhD, MPH, and colleagues studied a cohort of 6,651 adults, aged 45–84 years at baseline, between 2000 and 2018. They used a validated spatiotemporal model to measure air pollution exposure biweekly. Over a median 16.7-year follow-up, 248 VTE events occurred. After adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, higher exposures to fi ne particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) were associated with increased VTE risk. Specifically, each 3.6 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 was linked to a 39% higher VTE risk; each 13.3 ppb increase in NO2 to a 2.74-fold higher risk; and each 30 ppb increase in NOx to a 2.21-fold higher risk. Ozone was not associated with VTE.
