Effect of motor vehicle emissions on respiratory health in an urban area.

Abstract

Motor vehicles emit particulate matter < 2.5 microm in diameter (PM(2.5)), and as a result, PM(2.5) concentrations tend to be elevated near busy streets. Studies of the relationship between motor vehicle emissions and respiratory health are generally limited by difficulties in exposure assessment. We developed a refined exposure model and implemented it using a geographic information system to estimate the average daily census enumeration area (EA) exposure to PM(2.5). Southeast Toronto, the study area, includes 334 EAs and covers 16 km(2) of urban area. We used hospital admission diagnostic codes from 1990 to 1992 to measure respiratory and genitourinary conditions. We assessed the effect of EA exposure on hospital admissions using a Poisson mixed-effects model and examined the spatial distributions of variables. Exposure to PM(2.5) has a significant effect on admission rates for a subset of respiratory diagnoses (asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection), with a relative risk of 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.45) for a log(10) increase in exposure. We noted a weaker effect of exposure on hospitalization for all respiratory conditions, and no effect on hospitalization for nonrespiratory conditions.

Presence of estrogenic activity from emission of fossil fuel combustion as detected by a recombinant yeast bioassay

“…Inhalation of chemicals may represent a direct route for chemicals to enter the blood stream and exert biological effects on target tissues. There are evidences that burning these fuels release harmful air pollutants that are associated with respiratory infections (Buckeridge et al, 2002), carcinogenic potencies (Mi et al, 2001) and amphibian malformations (Hopkins et al, 2000). The results of recombinant yeast bioassay of estrogenic compounds as presented in the current study indicated that weak estrogenic activities are also associated with emissions from fossil fuel combustion.…”

Lung Surfactant Gelation Induced by Epithelial Cells Exposed to Air Pollution or Oxidative Stress

“…Elevated levels of air pollution particles are associated with increased morbidity and mortality resulting from acute and chronic cardiopulmonary injury (1)(2)(3)(4). Inhalation of particulate air pollutants can trigger generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in the airway epithelium, leading to expression of multiple proinflammatory cytokines and airway pathobiology (5).…”

Report of Workshop on Traffic, Health, and Infrastructure Planning

“…29,30 However, studies of other health outcomes, such as asthma hospitalizations and medication use and risk for various cancers, have provided less consistent evidence. [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Evidence also suggests that traffic density 49 and traffic proximity 50 may be linked to adverse preterm birth outcomes.…”