Exposure to PM2.5 and its five constituents is associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study in northwest China

Studies have demonstrated that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an underlying risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but evidence exploring the relationship between PM2.5 chemical components and T2DM was extremely limited, to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its five constituents (sulfate [SO42−], nitrate [NO3−], ammonium [NH4+]), organic matter [OM] and black carbon [BC]) on incidence of T2DM. Based on the “Jinchang Cohort” platform, a total of 19,884 participants were selected for analysis. Daily average concentrations of pollutants were gained from Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP). Cox proportional hazards regression models were utilized to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95