Urban traffic and pollutant exposure related to respiratory outcomes and atopy in a large sample of children

Abstract

Conflicting results have been reported for the relationship between traffic exposure and inception of atopy. The effect of traffic on the prevalence of asthma and atopy at school age was investigated in a representative population.Random samples of schoolchildren (n=7,509, response rate 83.7%) were studied using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood phase-II protocol with skin-prick tests, measurements of specific immunoglobulin E and lung function. Traffic exposure was assessed via traffic counts and by an emission model which predicted soot, benzene and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ).Traffic counts were associated with current asthma, wheeze and cough. In children with tobacco-smoke exposure, traffic volume was additionally associated with a positive skin-prick test. Cough was associated with soot, benzene and NO 2 , current asthma with soot and benzene, and current wheeze with benzene and NO 2 . No pollutant was associated with allergic sensitisation.High vehicle traffic was associated with asthma, cough and wheeze, and in children additionally exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, with allergic sensitisation. However, effects of socioeconomic factors associated with living close to busy roads cannot be ruled out. Eur Respir J 2003; 21: 956-963.

Receptor model source attributions for Utah's Salt Lake City airshed and the impacts of wintertime secondary ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride aerosol

“…Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 , particles with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 mm) has been linked to adverse human health effects, including increases in cardiovascular and pulmonary disease (Baliff et al, 2000;Nicolai et al, 2003), and morbidity and mortality (Dockery et al, 1993;Pope et al, 1991). PM 2.5 also contributes to impaired visibility (Watson 2002) and changes in the global radiative balance (Chung and Seinfeld, 2002).…”

Air pollution and respiratory diseases in the Municipality of Vitória, Espírito Santo State, Brazil

“…Other authors have also demonstrated the hypothesis of pollutant point sources leading to high rates of asthma in children 13,14,15 . McConnell et al 16 , in a georeferenced study, examined 5,341 children ages 5 to 7 years to relate asthma and chest wheezing to place of residence, especially proximity to highways.…”

On exposure and response relationships for health effects associated with exposure to vehicular traffic

“…At the other extreme, flow rates of B300,000 vpd have been reported across the George Washington Bridge to and from New York City (a total of 14 lanes on two decks) (www.fortleeonline.com, accessed 2 October 2006), at the intersection of two major interstate highways in Cincinnati, Ohio (Martuzevicius et al, 2004), and on the I-710 freeway in Los Angeles (Westerdahl et al, 2005). As another example, traffic flow rates in Munich reported by Nicolai et al (2003) vary from 2600 to 148,000 vpd. Obviously the strength of the vehicular pollution source also depends on the number of lanes, and by extension, the number of such roadways within the area of interest, that is, the road density (Lipfert et al, 2006b).…”