Traffic Pollution Hurts Asthmatic Kids' Lungs

FRIDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Children with asthma who areexposed to traffic pollution are at increased risk for respiratoryproblems and reduced lung volumes, says a study that looked at children inthe Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez, a crossing point into theUnited States.
"Major cities along the northern and southern U.S. borders often havehigh levels of vehicular traffic flows, especially at the border crossingpoints. Vehicular traffic emissions from the high density of bordercrossing traffic may be negatively affecting the health of populations wholive in nearby areas," study lead author Dr. Fernando Holguin, assistantprofessor of pulmonary medicine at Emory University School of Medicine,said in a prepared statement.
Holguin and colleagues recruited 200 asthmatic and non-asthmaticchildren, ages 6 to12 years, who lived in Ciudad Juarez. For one year, theresearchers measured traffic density and traffic-related pollutants nearthe children's homes and schools. For four months, they evaluated eachchild's lung function and respiratory symptoms.
The researchers found that children with asthma -- but not thosewithout asthma -- were affected by living in homes in areas with heavytraffic. These children had higher levels of exhaled NO, as well asreductions in both lung volume and airflow.
Living within 50 meters of a road with heavy traffic increased the riskof respiratory symptoms in asthmatic children by more than 50 percent, theresearchers concluded.
"Our results show that close proximity to vehicular traffic-relatedemissions, either at home or at school, can lead to chronic effects in therespiratory health of children with asthma," Holguin said.
The findings "may have implications for asthmatic children residing inthese conditions -- especially among those who may not be adequatelycontrolled with medications -- for they may be more susceptible tovehicular emissions."
The study was published in the second issue for December of theAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
More information
The American Lung Association has more about childhood asthma.