Low levels of air pollution induce changes of lung function in a panel of school children

¹ Institute of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
² Austrian Academy of Sciences--Clean Air Commission, Postgasse 7-9, Vienna, Austria
³ Institute of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; and Austrian Academy of Sciences--Clean Air Commission, Postgasse 7-9, Vienna, Austria

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Manfred.neuberger{at}meduniwien.ac.at.

	Abstract

In search of sensitive screening parameters for assessing acute effects of ambient air pollutants in young school children the impact of 8-hour average air pollution before lung function testing was investigated by oscillatory measurements of resistance and spirometry with flow volume loops.

At a central elementary school in the capital of Upper Austria 163 children aged 7-10 years underwent repeated examinations at the same time of day during one school year, yielding a total of 11 to 12 lung function tests per child. Associations to mass concentrations of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide measured continuously at a nearby monitoring station were tested, applying the Generalized Estimating Equations model.

Reductions per 10 µg·m^-3 (both for particles and for NO₂) were in the magnitude of one percent for most lung function parameters. The most sensitive indicator for acute effects of combustion related pollutants was a change in maximal expiratory flow in small airways. NO₂ at concentrations below current standards reduced (in the multi-pollutant model) FEV₁ by 1.01%, MEF50 by 1.99% and MEF25 by 1.96%. Peripheral resistance increased by 1.03% per 10 µg·m^-3 of PM_2.5. Resistance is less influenced by the child's cooperation, should be utilized more often in environmental epidemiology when screening for early signs of small airway dysfunction from urban air pollution, but cannot replace the measurement of MEF50 and MEF25. In the basic model the reduction of these parameters per 10 µg·m^-3 was highest for NO₂, followed by PM₁, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ while exposure to coarse dust (PM₁₀-PM_2.5) did not change endexpiratory flow significantly. All acute effects of urban air pollution found on the lung function of healthy pupils were evident at levels below current European limit values for NO₂. Planned reduction of NO₂ emission (Euro V) of 20% in 2010 seems to be insufficient.

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