City smog boosts allergy risk in kids

zoom

Dubai has recorded rising rates of traffic pollution in recent years. (Getty Images)

Traffic-related pollution in metropolitan areas is linked to an increased risk for atopic and respiratory diseases in children, a study has found.

German researchers say children who live within 50 metres of a busy road are 66% more likely to be diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis or asthma than those individuals who live farther away.

Close proximity to a major thoroughfare was also associated with a 33% increased risk for pollen allergies.

Previous observational studies have linked air pollution to atopic diseases and allergies, but those results have been mixed, said lead author Joachim Heinrich, an epidemiologist at the Helmholtz Research Centre for Environment and Health in Munich.

"We consistently found strong associations between the distance to the nearest main road and the allergic disease outcomes," he wrote in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The study followed 3,066 children living in and around Munich for six years from birth, to determine rates of allergy-related diseases and exposure to traffic pollution.

The researchers mapped each residential address and the distance to busy roads, then developed a model to calculate exposure to pollution at birth and age two, three and six.

A busy road was considered by the authors as one used by 10,000 cars each day.

"The results ... suggest that living on busy roads is associated with a higher risk for sensitisation of pollen and could be interpreted as an indication for interaction between pollen and air pollutants and the effect of this interaction on the human immune system," the researchers said.

Because traffic-related particles condense within seconds after emission, they said, exposure to aerosols is likely to be diluted the farther from the road a child lives.

"Those living very close to a major road are likely to be exposed not only to a higher amount of traffic-derived particles and gases but also to a more freshly emitted aerosol, which may be more toxic," the authors said.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.