Study highlights potential link between VOCs and CVD, mortality

Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD death, as suggested in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which exposure to VOCs was assessed in relation to cardiovascular outcomes. A total of 36 studies met the inclusion criteria, and most of them were conducted in the US. The studies ranged from those that evaluated the correlation between increased exposure to VOCs and CVD or CVD death in different subsets of the population to those that evaluated the effect of VOC exposure estimated via measurements of air quality on individual outcomes, and those that examined individual exposure to VOCs acquired via measurement of VOC metabolites in urine or blood as a possible contributor to CVD.

Pooled data showed a signal of association between exposure to VOC mixtures (toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) and increased odds of CVD (odds ratio, 1.57, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.79–3.11). Similarly, a positive trend of association was observed between exposure to benzene and CVD death (meta relative risk, 1.09, 95 percent CI, 0.99–1.21; I2=91.4 percent). However, there were serious inconsistencies seen regarding the significance and the magnitude of the associations.

Fixed‐effect analyses yielded significant positive effects in all evaluated associations.

More studies aimed at ascertainment of accurate long‐term VOC exposure data are needed to confirm the associations, according to the researchers.