RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fine and coarse particulate air pollution in relation to respiratory health in Sweden
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP erj00882-2012
DO 10.1183/09031936.00088212
A1 Saskia M. Willers
A1 Charlotta Eriksson
A1 Lars Gidhagen
A1 Mats E. Nilsson
A1 Göran Pershagen
A1 Tom Bellander
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2013/01/10/09031936.00088212.abstract
AB Health effects have repeatedly been associated with residential levels of air pollution. However, it is difficult to disentangle effects of long-term exposure to locally generated and long-range transported pollutants as well as of exhaust emissions and wear particles from road traffic. We aimed to investigate effects of exposure to particulate matter (PM) fractions on respiratory health in the Swedish adult population, using an integrated assessment of sources at different geographical scales.The study was based on a nationwide environmental health survey performed in 2007, including 25,851 adults aged 18 to 80. Individual exposure to PM at residential addresses was estimated by dispersion modelling of regional, urban and local sources. Associations between different size fractions or source categories and respiratory outcomes were analysed using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for individual and contextual confounding.Exposure to locally generated wear particles (PM1-10) showed associations for blocked nose/hay fever, chest tightness/cough and restricted activity days with odds ratios of 1.5 to 2 per 10 ;μg·m−3. Associations were also seen for locally generated combustion particles, which disappeared following adjustment for exposure to wear particles. In conclusion, our data indicate that long-term exposure to locally generated road wear particles increases the risk of respiratory symptoms in adults.