Abstract
The objective of this study is to determine if exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5), a pollutant that has been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes and is ubiquitous in the air we breathe, is associated with multi-system, physiological dysregulation in older adults. Data on adults over age 50 from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study for whom biomarker measures were collected in 2006–2008. Biological risk scores were created by summing across high risk indicators for cholesterol, HbA1c, blood pressure, and obesity. Estimates of annual ambient PM2.5 concentrations were linked to respondents using census tract identifiers. About 10% of older adults lived in areas with PM2.5 levels considered unhealthy by the EPA. Older adults living in these areas had higher biological risk scores. Air pollution impacts multiple biological systems implicated in functional decline and increased disease risk in the aging population.