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A research team from McGill University analyzed data from Ontario—the country's most populous province—and found that fine particles present in atmospheric pollution are associated with higher concentrations of a biomarker linked to autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus.
"These results will help us understand how atmospheric pollution could trigger modifications to the immune system associated with autoimmune diseases," explains Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, James McGill Professor of Medicine and a member of McGill University's Centre on Climate Change and Health, Division of Rheumatology, and Centre for Health Evaluation Research. "We know that certain genetic factors play a role in autoimmune diseases, but they don't explain everything."
The study's results add to the growing body of data indicating that atmospheric pollution affects not only heart and lung health.
"The fine particles in the air are small enough to enter the bloodstream, which can have repercussions throughout the body," adds the researcher.
Comparing pollution levels in different sectors of Ontario
The research team analyzed blood samples from more than 3,500 participants in CanPath, a national platform combining data from over 400,000 Canadians in Quebec, Ontario, and other provinces.
The team found that samples from people living in areas with high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution more often showed higher concentrations of antinuclear antibodies (ANA).
Dr. Bernatsky, who is also a senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, points out that air pollution doesn't only affect cities.
"Air pollution is often seen as an urban problem caused by automobile traffic, but rural and suburban areas are not spared," explains Dr. Bernatsky, citing wildfire smoke as a significant pollution risk.
No level of PM2.5 is safe
Canada has established national standards for PM2.5, and policymakers are increasingly aware of the need to limit exposure to fine particles, the researchers note. "Even though air quality is generally better in Canada than in many other countries, the data suggests there is no safe level; that is why Canadian policymakers need research like ours," explains Dr. Bernatsky.
Not all Canadians are exposed to the same risks: low-income communities sometimes live near polluting industrial facilities or major roadways; and autoimmune diseases, like lupus, disproportionately affect women and non-white populations, including Indigenous peoples.
In 2017, Dr. Bernatsky led a Quebec study indicating that living near industrial sources of fine particulate emissions was linked to an increase in blood markers for rheumatoid arthritis. In her next study, the team will analyze data from British Columbia.