Results from the European Union MAPEC_LIFE cohort study on air pollution and chromosomal damage in children: are public health policies sufficiently protective?

Environmental Sciences Europe

Table 5 Analysis of the associations between MN frequency and exposure levels exceeded the thresholds established in both the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive and the WHO Air Quality Guidelines

Air pollutant	Type of limit	Limit value	<EU/WHO limit		>EU/WHO limit		IRR (95% CIs)
Air pollutant	Type of limit	Limit value	N	MN/1000 mean ± SD	N	MN/1000 mean ± SD	IRR (95% CIs)
PM10	EU daily	50 µg/m³	1946	0.33 ± 0.49	193	0.40 ± 0.46	1.011 (0.811, 1.262)
	WHO daily	50 µg/m³	1946	0.33 ± 0.49	193	0.40 ± 0.46	1.011(0.811, 1.262)
	EU annual	40 µg/m³	1700	0.30 ± 0.45	439	0.46 ± 0.58	1.179* (1.006, 1.381)
	WHO annual	20 µg/m³	590	0.26 ± 0.42	1529	0.36 ± 0.50	1.225* (1.039, 1.443)
PM2.5	EU annual	25 µg/m³	1579	0.31 ± 0.45	419	0.46 ± 0.59	1.099 (0.915, 1.320)
	WHO annual	10 µg/m³	307	0.23 ± 0.34	1691	0.36 ± 0.51	1.125 (0.916, 1.382)
	WHO daily	25 µg/m³	1579	0.31 ± 0.45	419	0.46 ± 0.59	1.099 (0.915, 1.320)
Benzene	EU annual	5 µg/m³	1772	0.33 ± 0.47	33	0.26 ± 0.36	0.818 (0.472, 1.418)
Benzene	WHO annual^a	1.7 µg/m³	1438	0.30 ± 0.45	367	0.41 ± 0.54	1.278* (1.038, 1.573)
NO₂	EU annual	40 µg/m³	1435	0.33 ± 0.49	704	0.34 ± 0.48	0.782 (0.665, 0.921)
NO₂	WHO annual	40 µg/m³	1435	0.33 ± 0.49	704	0.34 ± 0.48	0.782 (0.665, 0.921)
BaP^b	EU annual	1 ng/m³	1868	0.31 ± 0.46	166	0.51 ± 0.59	1.145 (0.900, 1.457)
BaP^b	WHO annual^a	0.12 ng/m³	1146	0.24 ± 0.36	888	0.44 ± 0.57	1.598** (1.210, 2.111)

All the associations were assessed including town of residence, temperature, child BMI and adherence to Mediterranean diet, exposure to second-hand smoke at home, having graduated mother and father in the model as potential confounders
Number of biological samples (N) and mean MN frequency ± SD (MN/1000) are reported for children exposed to levels lower (<) or higher (>) than the limits. Associations were assessed by computing Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) with a Poisson regression model
*, **p value < 0.05, < 0.01, respectively, assessed by Poison regression mixed model
^aBaP concentration detected on PM0.5 samples collected near schools
^bEstimated Reference Levels (RL)