Relationships between indicators of cardiovascular disease and intensity of oil and natural gas activity in Northeastern Colorado

Structured abstract Background Oil and natural gas (O&G) extraction emits pollutants that are associated with cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Objective: We evaluated associations between intensity of O&G activity and cardiovascular disease indicators. Methods Between October 2015 and May 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 97 adults living in Northeastern Colorado. For each participant, we collected 1–3 measurements of augmentation index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)− 1β, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). We modelled the intensity of O&G activity by weighting O&G well counts within 16 km of a participant's home by intensity and distance. We used linear models accounting for repeated measures within person to evaluate associations. Results Adjusted mean augmentation index differed by 6.0% (95% CI: 0.6, 11.4%) and 5.1% (95%CI: −0.1, 10.4%) between high and medium, respectively, and low exposure tertiles. The greatest mean IL-1β, and α-TNF plasma concentrations were observed for participants in the highest exposure tertile. IL-6 and IL-8 results were consistent with a null result. For participants not taking prescription medications, the adjusted mean SBP differed by 6 and 1 mm Hg (95% CIs: 0.1, 13 mm Hg and −6, 8 mm Hg) between the high and medium, respectively, and low exposure tertiles. DBP results were similar. For participants taking prescription medications, SBP and DBP results were consistent with a null result. Conclusions Despite limitations, our results support associations between O&G activity and augmentation index, SBP, DBP, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Our study was not able to elucidate possible mechanisms or environmental stressors, such as air pollution and noise.