@article {Schultz3499, author = {Erica Sofia Schultz and Jenny Hallberg and Tom Bellander and Anna Bergstr{\"o}m and Matteo Bottai and Olena Gruzieva and Per Thunqvist and Magnus Wickman and G{\"o}ran Pershagen and Erik Mel{\'e}n}, title = {Early life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and lung function in adolescence}, volume = {42}, number = {Suppl 57}, elocation-id = {3499}, year = {2013}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Introduction: Exposure to air pollution during infancy has been related to lung function decrements in 8-year old children (Schultz et al AJRCCM 186(12):1286-91.), but whether the negative effect remains into adolescence is unknown.Aims and objectives: To assess the role of long-term exposure to air pollution on lung function at 16 years of age.Methods: Over 1600 children in the Swedish birth cohort BAMSE performed dynamic spirometry at 16 years of age. Outdoor concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from road traffic were estimated for residential, daycare and school addresses from birth up to 12 years of age using an emission inventory and dispersion modelling. The relationship between time-weighted average exposure during different time windows and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was analyzed by linear regression.Results: A 5-95th percentile difference (corresponding to 48 {\textmu}g/m3) in average traffic NOx exposure during the first year of life was associated with a reduced FEV1 of -111 ml, 95\% confidence interval (CI) -210 to -12, at 16 years of age. Exposure after the first year of life showed no clear effects. The negative association between first year exposure to NOx and FEV1 appeared particularly pronounced in boys (-192 ml, 95\% CI: -192 to -28). Associations were also suggested between first year of life exposure to NOx and clinically important lung function deficits of less than 80\% of predicted FEV1 with an odds ratio of 2.6 (95\% CI 0.9 to 7.4).Conclusions: Our results indicate that exposure to traffic-related air pollution during infancy negatively affects lung function in adolescents at 16 years of age.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/3499}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/3499.full.pdf}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }