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Air pollution, airway inflammation and lung function in Mexico City school children
Citation:
Barraza-Villarreal, A., L. Hernandez-Cadena, J. Sunyer, M. C. Escamilla-Nunez, J. J. Sienra-Monge, M. Ramirea-Aguilar, M. Cortes-Lugo, F. Holguin, D. DIAZ SANCHEZ, A. C. Olin, AND I. Romieu. Air pollution, airway inflammation and lung function in Mexico City school children. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, 116(6):832-838, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
research results
Description:
BACKGROUND: The biological mechanisms involved in inflammatory response to air pollution are not clearly understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study we assessed the association of short-term air pollutant exposure with inflammatory markers and lung function. METHODS: We studied a cohort of 158 asthmatic and 50 nonasthmatic school-age children, followed an average of 22 weeks. We conducted spirometric tests, measurements of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Fe(NO)), interleukin-8 (IL-8) in nasal lavage, and pH of exhaled breath condensate every 15 days during follow-up. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: An increase of 17.5 mug/m(3) in the 8-hr moving average of PM(2.5) levels (interquartile range) was associated with a 1.08-ppb increase in Fe(NO) [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.16] and a 1.07-pg/mL increase in IL-8 (95% CI 0.98-1.19) in asthmatic children and a 1.16 pg/ml increase in IL-8 (95% CI, 1.00-1.36) in nonasthmatic children. The 5-day accumulated average of exposure to particulate matter < 2.5 mum in aerodynamic diamter (PM(2.5)) was significantly inversely associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)) (p = 0.048) and forced vital capacity (FVC) (p = 0.012) in asthmatic children and with FVC (p = 0.021) in nonasthmatic children. Fe(NO) and FEV(1) were inversely associated (p = 0.005) in asthmatic children. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to PM(2.5) resulted in acute airway inflammation and decrease in lung function in both asthmatic and nonasthmatic children.
