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Air Pollution Directly Linked To Asthma In Children LONDON, ENGLAND -- March 12, 1999 -- Air pollution has serious effects on respiratory health. Increased death rates among elderly people and worsening of asthma in childhood are the known effects of air pollution, but a consistent link between air pollution and increased prevalence of asthma has been difficult to make. In this week's issue of The Lancet, Dr. H. Marike Boezen, from the department of epidemiology and statistics at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and colleagues report evidence that lends support to a direct link between asthma in children and air pollution. During three consecutive winters (1992-95), the researchers collected data on respiratory symptoms in children aged seven to 11 years living in urban and rural areas of The Netherlands. The children had their respiratory characteristics measured, kept a daily diary of any asthma symptoms and made measurements of their peak expiratory flow three times a day, under parental supervision. Air pollution was measured in each locality. Children were divided into four groups, depending on whether they had bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), atopy (susceptibility to allergens), neither, or both. In the report, 632 children were studied and complete data were available for 459 (73 percent), of whom 119 (26 percent) had both BHR and atopy. The researchers found that during episodes of increased air pollution, the children with BHR and atopy were significantly more likely to experience respiratory symptoms. During periods when there was more particulate matter (particles larger than 10 micrometers) in the air, these children were between 32 percent and 139 percent more likely to have respiratory symptoms. When there was more black smoke, sulphur dioxide, or nitrogen dioxide (common constituents of car exhaust fumes) in the air, the children were between 16 percent and 131 percent more likely to have such symptoms. The researchers conclude that the effect of air pollution on public health is likely to be substantial and call for public-health improvement strategies aimed at children with BHR and atopy. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version