Friday, June 1, 2012

Childhood Asthma and Ambient Air Pollution

Satellite-based Estimates of Ambient Air Pollution and Global Variations in Childhood Asthma Prevalence (32 page pdf, H Ross Anderson, Barbara K. Butland, Aaron van Donkelaar, Michael Brauer, David P. Strachan, Tadd Clayton, Rita van Dingenen, Markus Amann, Bert Brunekreef, Aaron Cohen, Frank Dentener, Christopher Lai, Lok N. Lamsal, Randall V. Martin, ISAAC Phase One and Phase Three study groups, Environ Health Perspect , May 1, 2012)

Today we review research aimed at testing the hypothesis that variations in asthma world-wide can be explained by variations in long term ambient pollution at the community level (O3, PM2.5 and NO2) which was in turn estimated using satellite-derived estimates. Although short term variations appear to be linked,
 the results indicate no such link over the long term.

   

Key Quotes: “There is substantial evidence from short-term exposure studies that ambient air pollution plays a role in the exacerbation of asthma symptoms…In contrast, the evidence concerning asthma and long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution is not coherent”

 “This paper investigates, on a global scale, associations between the community-level prevalence of children’s asthma symptoms and satellite-based estimates of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 microns (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and modeled ozone (O3)”

 “Asthma prevalence was negatively correlated with all three pollutants …and positively correlated with the three climate variables”

“we did not find evidence of positive community-level associations between the prevalence of asthma and satellite-based estimates of PM2.5 and NO2 and modelled estimates of O3, either cross-sectionally, or over time”
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