|
The study will be presented at the ATS 2012 InternationalConference in San Francisco. "In this study, we found thatprenatal exposures to airborne particles and the pollutant nitrogendioxide adversely affect pulmonary function growth among asthmaticchildren between 6 and 15 years of age," said study leadauthor Amy Padula, PhD, post-doctoral fellow at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley. "This analysis adds to the evidence thatmaternal exposure to ambient air pollutants can have persistenteffects on lung function development in children with asthma." The study was conducted as part of the Fresno Asthmatic Children'sEnvironment Study (FACES) -- Lifetime Exposure initiative, whichexamines the influence of prenatal exposure to a number of ambientair pollutants on the growth of lung function during childhood andteen years in a high pollution area. For this analysis, the researchers included repeated evaluations of162 asthmatic children between the ages of 6 and 15 and theirmothers. To determine prenatal exposure levels to pollution, themothers' residences during pregnancy were geocoded and pollutantconcentrations were obtained from the Aerometric InformationRetrieval System supported by the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA).Monthly average pollutant concentrations were assignedfrom 24-hour averages obtained at a central site monitor andsummaries of the entire pregnancy and each trimester werecalculated. The researchers looked at several pollutants, includingcarbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter. To calculate lung function growth, which is determined primarily bychanges in lung capacity as a child grows, the researchers usedspirometry, a technique which measures the volume and speed of airas it is exhaled from the lungs. For this study, multiple lungfunction tests were performed and significant changes were noted infour measurements: the FVC, or forced vital capacity, whichreflects the volume of air that can be blown out after fullyinhaling; the FEV1, or forced expiratory volume in 1 second, whichis the volume of air that can forcibly be blown out in one second,after fully inhaling; the FEF, or forced expiratory flow, whichreflects the flow of air coming out of the lungs during the middleportion of a forced exhalation; and the PEF, or peak expiratoryflow, which is the maximal flow achieved when air is forciblyexhaled immediately after being inhaled. Measurement models were performed separately for boys and forgirls, and were adjusted for height, age, race and socioeconomicstatus. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that exposureto nitrogen dioxideduring the first and second trimesters wasassociated with lower pulmonary function growth in both girls andboys in childhood. Among girls, exposure to nitrogen dioxide duringthe first trimester was associated with lower FEV1 growth andexposure to nitrogen dioxideduring the second trimester wasassociated with lower FEF growth. Among boys, nitrogen dioxideexposure during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy wasassociated with lower FVC growth. Exposure to particulate matterduring the first trimester was associated with lower FEV1 and FVCgrowth in girls; similar exposures during the third trimester wereassociated with lower PEF and FEF growth among boys. "This finding adds to the evidence that current air pollutionlevels continue to have adverse effects on human health," Dr.Padula said. "Few studies have examined prenatal exposure toair pollution and subsequent lung function in childhood. Theseresults suggest that we need to be doing a better job to reducetraffic-related air pollution. Dr. Padula said she and her colleagues hope to conduct futurestudies on the role of genetic susceptibility to air pollution. "Currently, our studies are examining the associations betweenprenatal air pollution and adverse birth outcomes," she noted."It would be useful to know what makes some people more orless susceptible to the adverse affects of air pollution so wemight be able to provide more targeted public health advice.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Electronic Cabinets and Enclosures , China Automated Conveyor Systems for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Pellet Mill Machine.
Related Articles -
Electronic Cabinets and Enclosures, China Automated Conveyor Systems,
|
