Friday, February 11, 2011

Traffic-related air pollution associated with asthma in Sweden

Traffic-related air pollution associated with prevalence of asthma and COPD/chronic bronchitis. A cross-sectional study in Southern Sweden (15 page pdf)

MALMO NO2

Key Quotes:

"To assess exposure to traffic, we identified the road with the heaviest traffic intensity within 100 m of the residence. Traffic intensity was categorized as 0–1 cars/min, 2–5 cars/min, 6–10 cars/min, and >10 cars/min, based upon 24-hour mean levels."

"Traffic intensity on the heaviest road within 100 m showed effects at a traffic intensity of >6 cars/min"

"In urban areas of southern Sweden, local traffic contributes approximately 50–60% of total NOx,"

"High traffic intensity, however, may not only correlate with high total number of vehicles, but also with a higher proportion of heavy vehicles, an additional factor which could affect the outcome, since diesel exhaust from heavy vehicles might have more adverse respiratory effects"

"Conclusions: Living close to traffic was associated with prevalence of asthma diagnosis, COPD diagnosis, and symptoms of asthma and bronchitis. This indicates that traffic-related air pollution has both long-term and short-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in adults, even in a region with overall low levels of air pollution."
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