Sector-specific ambient air pollution and biomarkers of liver injury. Findings of a cross-sectional population-based survey

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution has been linked to biomarkers of liver injury. Little information exists on these effects at relatively low air pollution levels and among children. The relative hepatic toxicity of air pollution mixes from specific emission sectors has not been previously investigated. OBJECTIVES: To test associations between sector-specific air pollution (SSAP) and biomarkers of liver injury. METHODS: Using generalized linear mixed models, we tested associations between SSAP exposure and liver injury biomarkers in 30,781 participants aged 3-79 years, in the nationally representative Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007 and 2019) who were exposed to relatively low air pollution concentrations. RESULTS: Interquartile range (IQR) increases in SSAP from residential (RES), on- and off-road transportation (ONRD, OFRD), air-marine-rail (AMR), upstream and downstream oil and gas production (UPOG, DNOG), chemical manufacturing (MAN) and pulp and paper (P&P) sectors were associated with significant increases in bilirubin (BIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The largest effects were for alkaline phosphatase with increases of 1.86% (95% CI 0.46,3.26), and 1.58% (95% 0.08, 3.07) for AMR, and DNOG-attributable concentrations, respectively. Among children