Air pollutants are substances in the air that have harmful effects on humans and the ecological environment. Although slight elevations in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are commonly observed in apparently healthy persons, potential associations between CEA levels and chronic low-grade inflammation induced by air pollution have yet to be documented. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study to estimate the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and the CEA. A total of 9728 participants from health examinations were enrolled for the analysis and linked with their residential air pollutant data including ozone (O-3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM10). The results showed that every increase of 1 ppm O-3 significantly increased the mean differences of the CEA blood concentration by 0.005 ng/mL. Each increase of 1 ppm CO significantly reduced the mean differences of the CEA blood concentration by 0.455 ng/mL. Although smoking and alcohol drinking also increased the CEA levels, with adjustment of these confounders we identified a significant association between serum CEA in the general population and levels of the air pollutants O-3 and CO. In conclusion, the serum CEA concentrations and short-term air pollutants O-3 and CO exposure were found to have a significant relationship; however, its mechanism is still unclear. Moreover, long-term air pollution exposure and changes in CEA concentration still need to be further evaluated.
