Even Brief Exposure to Air Pollution Harms Children’s Lung Health

Findings from a new study indicate that even short-term exposure to elevated particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) air pollution can increase the risk of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), especially among young children.

The authors of the study arrived at this conclusion following an evaluation of 146,397 patients with a diagnosis of ALRI living in Wasatch Front, Utah. Of these, approximately 112,467 (77%) were aged 0 to 2 years.
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Community-based air quality monitors were used to measure PM_2.5 air pollution concentrations between 1999 and 2016, and odds ratios (OR) for ALRI healthcare encounters were calculated by age group—0 to 2 years, 3 to 17 years, and 18 years and older.

The results indicated that, in children aged 0 to 2 years, the likelihood of an ALRI healthcare encounter increased within 1 week of elevated PM_2.5 exposure and peaked after 3 weeks (cumulative 28-day OR 1.15 per +10 μg/m³).

The researchers also observed an increase in laboratory respiratory syncytial virus and influenza diagnoses following exposure to elevated ambient PM_2.5 levels in this patient population.

Although a similarly increased risk for ALRI was found for older children, the number of events and precision of estimates were much lower, the researchers noted.

“In this large sample of urban/suburban patients, short-term exposure to elevated PM_2.5 air pollution was associated with greater healthcare utilization for ALRI in both young children, older children, and adults,” the researchers concluded. “Further exploration is needed of causal interactions between PM_2.5 and ALRI.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Horne BD, Joy EA, Hofmann MG, et al. Short-term elevation of fine particulate matter air pollution and acute lower respiratory infection. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018. http://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/pm-and-lung-function-in-kids.pdf?utm_campaign=Press Releases&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=61995674&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9p3qm6XvtYQm9tOjOSNgahpRG_3-pOuiiAx2BCFYtJtepkW

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