| Title: | Association and biological pathways between lifetime occupational exposure to workplace hazards and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adults |
| Journal: | Journal of Hazardous Materials |
| Published: | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41653745/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141188 |
| URL: | https://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/127140 |
Publication 18599
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
The long-term impact of lifetime occupational exposure (LOE) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains unclear. This study examined associations between LOE and the risks of COPD and CVD in middle-aged and older adults. A prospective cohort study was conducted using UK Biobank data, including demographic, lifestyle, and genetic information. Cox proportional hazard models assessed associations of one-hazard (OLOE) and total-hazards LOE (TLOE) with cardiopulmonary outcomes. Mediation analyses explored the role of biomarkers and metabolites. Over a median 12.5-year follow-up, 2.4 % (2426/103,176) developed COPD and 20.6 % (18,035/87,419) developed CVD. All OLOEs, except pesticide, were associated with elevated risks for both diseases. Higher TLOE was linked to increased COPD (HR: 1.21, 95 % CI: 1.15-1.26) and CVD (HR: 1.05, 95 % CI: 1.03-1.06) risks per exposure level increase. Clear dose-response relationships were observed. Inflammatory markers, such as white blood cell count, neutrophil count, and C-reactive protein, partially mediated these associations. Moreover, TLOE was significantly associated with the onset of a single cardiopulmonary disease and its progression to comorbidity. Our findings underscored the potential long-term cardiopulmonary burden of occupational hazards and supported the need for workplace hazard reduction to promote healthy aging.</p>
12 Keywords
- Aged
- Biomarkers
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Occupational Exposure
- Proportional Hazards Models
- Prospective Studies
- Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
- United Kingdom
5 Authors
- Yang Yang
- Qichen Liu
- Filippos T Filippidis
- Peng Lu
- Yuming Guo
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 83151 | Nighttime light exposure on risks of cardiometabolic diseases and mental disorders |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health