Effects of emissions from different type of residential heating upon cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in blood platelets of residents

Abstract

We hypothesized that different types of residential heating would be associated with different levels of indoor carbon monoxide (CO) and further that this might result in a differential in the concentration of cyclic 3′:5′ guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in blood platelets in exposed residents. Individuals, who were recruited from homes using different fuel for heating, donated a venous blood sample in the winter and in the summer. In the winter the median blood platelet cGMP value for the group using liquid propane gas (LPG) was 65% higher than for the group using piped natural gas for heating (p <0.001). Also in the group using LPG, the median concentration of cGMP in the winter was 39% higher than the summer median (p < 0.003). The mean indoor concentrations of CO were measured over a period of 1 week during the winter and were <1 ppm. We conclude that observed differences were associated with emissions from different types of heating but that CO exposure alone is too low to explain these.

Keywords::

• Carbon monoxide
• cyclic guanosine monophosphate
• blood platelets

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding from the Medical Research Council Project Grant G9900679.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the contents and writing of the paper.