Uncontrolled asthma linked to air pollution exposure

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/229016.php

Article Date: 20 Jun 2011 - 16:00 PDT

People with asthma exposed to higher levels of ozone and particulate matter are much more likely to have poorer asthma control, researchers reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Long-term ozone exposure raises an asthma patient's likelihood to have uncontrolled asthma by 69%, while long-term exposure to particulate matter raises the risk by 35%, the authors added.

Even after taking into account known risk factors linked to poorly controlled asthma, such as obesity, inhaled corticosteroid use, and smoking, the findings still held true.

The researchers explained that prior studies had established a link between air pollution and worsening respiratory symptoms, more hospitalizations and increased use of prescription drugs. However, none had examined what the impact of long-term air pollution might be on asthma control.

The investigators gathered data from the follow-up to the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA), involving 501 adult participants in five French cities, all with active asthma. They had filled in a questionnaire on respiratory health between 2003 and 2007.

Using data from the Institut Francais de l'Environnement (French Institute of the Environment), they calculated levels of O3 (ozone), NO2 (nitrous oxide) and PM10 (particulate matter) that each participant had been exposed to where they lived.

They measured asthma control according to data gathered on symptoms, asthma attacks, and lung function or FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second).

Data on pollutant levels were available for 481 patients. 44% of them had well-controlled asthma, 29% had partially controlled asthma, but 27% had poorly controlled asthma.

Calculated average levels of pollutants during the study period were:
Nitrous oxide - were 32 ug/m3
Ozone - 46 ug/m3
Particulate matter - 21 ug/m3
Both ozone and particulate matter levels were strongly linked to poorer asthma control. Long-term ozone exposure increased poor asthma control risk by 69%, and by 35% for particulate matter long-term exposure.

Females and older individuals of both sexes were more likely to experience poorly controlled asthma.

The authors concluded:

"Our results indicate that both ambient O3 and PM10 concentrations jeopardise asthma control in adults. The results are robust."

Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

Study: traffic pollution linked to brain damage

A new study from the University of Southern California on the physical effect of road pollution showed significant brain damage.

Researchers exposed mice to traffic pollution for five hours a day, three days a week, for 10 weeks. They eventually found out the test subjects’ brains showed signs of inflammation similar to premature ageing and Alzheimer’s disease.
Moreover, the neurons involved in learning and memory loss showed significant damage, and the brain neurons of developing mice did not grow as well as those not subjected to traffic particles.

The study’s senior author, Dr Caleb Finch, said these air contaminants – about 1,000th the width of a human hair – were too small to be captured by vehicle filtration systems. Humans are just as likely to inhale them, which raises the possibility of long-term brain health consequences.

Switching to electric cars would be an easy solution, although Dr Finch cautions that ''electrical generation still depends upon other combustion processes – coal – that in a larger environment contribute nanoparticles anyway''.

Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks

Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks, says studyResearch into 'final straw' risk factors says traffic fumes greater population-wide threat than drug because of numbers exposed

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 February 2011 18.37

Air pollution is a bigger trigger of heart attacks in the population than physical exertion, alcohol and taking cocaine, a study has shown. On an individual basis, cocaine raises the risk of a heart attack 23 times, says a study published in the Lancet.

But far more people are exposed to traffic fumes and factory emissions than cocaine so air quality is a far more important population-wide threat.

Scientists looked at "final straw" risk factors for triggering heart attacks, rather than underlying causes of heart disease. The highest risk factor was traffic exposure (7.4%), followed by physical exertion (6.2%) and alcohol (5%), coffee (5%), and higher levels of small air pollutant particles known as PM10s (4.8%).

Other risk factors included negative emotions, with a PAF of 3.9%, anger (3.1%), eating a heavy meal (2.7%), positive emotions (2.4%) and sexual activity (2.2%).

Air pollution triggers 5-7% of heart attacks in the population, they say. Cocaine accounts for just 0.9% of all heart attacks.