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EFFECTS OF CONTROLLED EXPOSURE TO DIESEL EXHAUST IN ALLERGIC ASTHMATIC INDIVIDUALS
Impact/Purpose:
Increasingly stringent emission standards and advances in engine technology have resulted in decreasing particulate matter concentrations and gaseous emissions from modern diesel engines. At the same time, diesel engine exhaust (DE) from older engines in the current fleet continues to contribute significantly to traffic-derived ambient particles, an important component of urban air pollution. Epidemiologic and experimental studies published in the 1990s suggested that short-term exposure to either whole diesel emissions or to the particulate fraction (diesel exhaust particles; DEP) may be associated with adverse respiratory and immune system effects in humans. It had been suggested that these effects could be more severe in persons with asthma and other allergic diseases.
Investigators propose to evaluate the effects of inhaled DEP on the lower airways and blood of healthy subjects and of allergic asthmatic individuals. The investigators hypothesized that inhalation of DEP would enhance inflammatory or allergic immunologic responses to allergens.
Description:
After completing a study evaluating the effects of exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the lower airways and blood of allergic asthmatic participants, investigators will have measured multiple physiologic and pulmonary function endpoints, including specific airway resistance, oxygen saturation, bronchial reactivity, and inflammatory and immunologic endpoints. Investigators expect the result to show that inhalation of diesel exhaust would enhance inflammatory or allergic immunologic responses.