Abstract
Air purifier use, shift work, and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) are linked to platelet abnormality. However, the role of air purifier use and shift work in the individual or joint associations of PM(2.5) and its components with platelet indices are largely unknown. A total of 8772 participants were recruited from a population of subway workers in China. PM(2.5) and its component data were obtained from the Tracking Air Pollution in China dataset. The role of air purifier use and shift work in the association between PM(2.5) and its components and platelet indices were analyzed. Among shift workers without air purifier use, positive associations of PM(2.5) and each component in PM(2.5) with the mean platelet volume (MPV) or platelet counts (PLT) were observed, whereas negative associations of PM(2.5) and each component in PM(2.5) with the platelet distribution width (PDW) were observed. Furthermore, estimated changes (95%CIs) in PLT, MPV, and PDW in response to each 10th percentile increment in the mixture of PM(2.5) and its components were 0.8657 (0.2496, 1.4819), 0.0192 (0.0054, 0.0329), and -0.0648 (-0.0945, -0.0351), respectively, and sulfate in PM(2.5) was the major contributor to those associations. Long-term exposure to PM(2.5) and its components was related to increased platelet disorders among shift workers without air purifier use, and those associations were mainly attributed to sulfate in PM(2.5).