Monday, February 14, 2011

Impact of Traffic Air Pollution on Children’s Health


LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13:  Trucks drive n...

The Relationship between Air Pollution from Heavy Traffic and Allergic Sensitization, Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness, and Respiratory Symptoms in Dutch Schoolchildren (7 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, Sep. 12, 2003]

The review article today is interesting because it shows that truck traffic was the primary cause of respiratory health impacts for children near heavy traffic and that pre-existing allergies accentuate the impact of traffic pollution.

Key Quotes:

“hypothesis that exposure to exhaust from heavy traffic in particular is related to childhood respiratory health. Children attending 24 schools located within 400 m from busy motorways were investigated. The motorways carried between 5,190 and 22,326 trucks per weekday and between 30,399 and 155,656 cars per day”

“studies suggest that living in situations with high exposure to traffic-related air pollution increases the prevalence

of chronic respiratory symptoms; however, a relationship with lung function or allergic sensitization has been studied insufficiently to draw firm conclusions”

“This study showed that truck traffic and air pollutants associated with truck traffic were associated with chronic respiratory symptoms in schoolchildren living close to motorways. There was no association with car traffic”
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