Effects of Particulate Matter (PM¹⁰) on The Pulmonary Function of Middle-School Children

Abstract

It has been reported that the particulate matter under 10 µm (PM10) has deleterious effects on respiratory health. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of PM10 upon normal children's lung function. The subjects were 368 middle school students in two areas of Incheon Metropolitan City. One (Incheon) is in the central city and the other (Ganghwa) is in the suburbs. Air pollution data in the vicinities of two participating schools were obtained from monthly report of air quality from Korean Ministry of Environment in 2000. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) was done two times, the first one in March and the second one in December with the same students. We analyzed the relationship between the PM10 levels and pulmonary functions (FEV1, FVC) of the children. The monthly average of the PM10 level between the two areas showed no significant difference (55.3 vs. 52.3 µg/m3). In both regions, the difference of the PM10 level between March and December was statistically significant (64 vs. 56 µg/m3 in Incheon, 64 vs. 54 µg/m3 in Ganghwa). The findings of the PFT values in March were significantly lower than those values found in December for both regions. In conclusion, we suggest that PM10 has some adverse effect on the pulmonary function of normal children.

The effects of air pollution on the health of children

“…Several studies have linked ambient air pollution to an increased prevalence of asthma symptoms (20,21), as well as an increased incidence (22) and prevalence (22,23) of childhood asthma, particularly among children who regularly engage in sporting activities and those with increased asthma medication use (20,21,24), increased asthma emergency department visits (6,21,25,26) and increased hospitalization due to asthma (27)(28)(29). Other studies have documented an inverse relationship between exposure to criteria air pollutants and lung function in both asthmatic (30) and nonasthmatic (19) children. There is evidence suggesting that current levels of ambient air pollutants may cause deficits in lung function growth in children (31)(32)(33).…”

Near-highway pollutants in motor vehicle exhaust: A review of epidemiologic evidence of cardiac and pulmonary health risks

“…The multivariate regression model presented suggests that FEV 25–75 was the outcome measure that most clearly showed an effect [75]. Cross-sectional studies of children in Korea [76] and France [77] also indicate that lung function is diminished in association with area pollutants that largely derive from traffic.…”

Exposure to Air Pollutants and Its Relation on Lung Function of Kuala Lumpur Central Ktmb Depot’s Worker

“…Based on the results, the length of service (>10 years) and smoking habit contributed to abnormalities of lung function, with 89% and 59%, respectively. Several studies show that smoking causes the decline in FVC and FEV 1 of a smoker [7]. Smoking not only causes reduction in FEV 1 reading of a smoker, but also causes chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD).…”

“…This mixture differs in size and composition as a result of natural and antropogenic activities [4]. The main sources of PM are from diesel engine exhaust, food preparation activities, and dust from wood combustion [7].…”