Environmental Health Engineering and Management Journal

en Association between short-term exposure to high-level particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10) of smoke Peganum harmala seeds with blood pressure: A quasi-experimental study عمومى General مقاله اصیل Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Air pollution is considered one of the most important causes of premature deaths. The part of indoor pollution investigated is related to people’s culture and behavior. Burning Peganum harmala seeds (called Espand) is a religious and cultural practice that is done by many people in Iran, India, and Morocco, which leads to the emission of particulate matters (PMs) into the environment.<br> Methods: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the exposures of PMs emitted from burned P. harmala seeds with some cardiovascular parameters. For this purpose, the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) of 37 healthy participants per explanatory factors were compared before and after the exposure to PMs (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10) emitted from burned Espand in a control room.<br> Results: The results showed a significant decrease and increase in SBP and HR, respectively. The decrease in DBP was insignificant. Younger people (less than 35 years) had a considerable HR increase (P = 0.028) compared to older people. Moreover, exposure to PMs increased the DBP of smokers and decreased the blood pressure of non-smokers. Therefore, reducing exposure to PMs emitted from burned Espand is necessary, especially for those with cardiovascular and respiratory problems and children.<br> Conclusion: The reduction can be made by decreasing the exposure frequency, exposure time, and burned Espand weight. Doing cultural-religious ceremonies outdoors can also considerably reduce exposure to PMs.</div> Blood pressure, Particulate matter, Indoor air, Peganum, Air pollution 419 427 http://ehemj.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-368&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Yadolah Fakhri ya.fakhri@gmail.com 100319475328460016880 100319475328460016880 Yes Corresponding author: Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran Ibrahim Ziad Abdullah ayhamissa1722003@gmail.com 100319475328460016881 0009-0004-9300-6440 No Faculty of Medicine-Al-Balqa Applied University Salt, Jordan Ayham Issam Qasem Al-issa Ayham451@yahoo.com 100319475328460016882 0009-0000-6579-396X No Faculty of Medicine-Al-Balqa Applied University Salt, Jordan Elham Rahmanzadeh Rahmanzadeh584@yahoo.com 100319475328460016883 100319475328460016883 No Department of Safety and Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran Somayeh Hoseinvandtabar hoseinvandtabar72@gmail.com 100319475328460016884 100319475328460016884 No Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Somayyeh Dehghani somayyeh_dehghani@yahoo.com 100319475328460016885 100319475328460016885 No Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran Mahdi Ghorbanian Ghorbanian6542@yahoo.com 100319475328460016886 100319475328460016886 No Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran Amin Ghanbarnejad amin.ghanbarnejad@gmail.com 100319475328460016887 100319475328460016887 No Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Iran