Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Lung Function in Children

Current Allergy and Asthma Reports

Volumn 17, Issue 6, 2017, Pages

  Schultz, Erica S ^a   Litonjua, Augusto A ^b   Melén, Erik ^a,c,d  

^a KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE   (Sweden)

^b BRIGHAM AND WOMEN S HOSPITAL   (United States)

^c SACHS CHILDREN S HOSPITAL   (Sweden)

^d STOCKHOLM COUNTY COUNCIL   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Adolescence; Asthma; Cohort; Epidemiology; Sensitization; Small airways; Spirometry

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ADULTHOOD; AIR POLLUTION; ASTHMA; CHILD; DISEASE PREDISPOSITION; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME; FORCED VITAL CAPACITY; HEALTH STATUS; HUMAN; LONG TERM EXPOSURE; LUNG FUNCTION; PARTICULATE MATTER; REVIEW; SENSITIZATION; SEX DIFFERENCE; SMALL AIRWAY DISEASE; TRAFFIC; VULNERABLE POPULATION; ADVERSE EFFECTS; AIR POLLUTANT; DRUG EFFECTS; EXHAUST GAS; LUNG; PATHOPHYSIOLOGY; TOXICITY;

AIR POLLUTANT; EXHAUST GAS;

AIR POLLUTANTS; AIR POLLUTION; CHILD; ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE; HUMANS; LUNG; VEHICLE EMISSIONS;

EID: 85020021392     PISSN: 15297322     EISSN: 15346315     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11882-017-0709-y     Document Type: Review

References (84)

1. UNICEF Clear the air for children: the impact of air pollution on children. Edited by. NewYork: UNICEF; 96. [UNICEF (Series Editor); 2016.
2. World Health Organization. Ambient air pollution: a global assessment of exposure and burden of disease. WHO report. 2016. Retreived from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/250141/1/9789241511353-eng.pdf.
3. Korten I, Ramsey K, Latzin P. Air pollution during pregnancy and lung development in the child. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2017;21:38–46.
4. Holt PG, Jones CA. The development of the immune system during pregnancy and early life. Allergy. 2000;55:688–97.
5. Stern DA, Morgan WJ, Wright AL, Guerra S, Martinez FD. Poor airway function in early infancy and lung function by age 22 years: a non-selective longitudinal cohort study. Lancet. 2007;370:758–64.
6. Lange P, Celli B, Agusti A, Boje Jensen G, Divo M, Faner R, Guerra S, Marott JL, Martinez FD, Martinez-Camblor P, et al. Lung-function trajectories leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:111–22.
7. Schunemann HJ, Dorn J, Grant BJ, Winkelstein W Jr, Trevisan M. Pulmonary function is a long-term predictor of mortality in the general population: 29-year follow-up of the Buffalo Health study. Chest. 2000;118:656–64.
8. Young RP, Hopkins R, Eaton TE. Forced expiratory volume in one second: not just a lung function test but a marker of premature death from all causes. Eur Respir J. 2007;30:616–22.
9. Stocks J, Hislop A, Sonnappa S. Early lung development: lifelong effect on respiratory health and disease. Lancet Respir Med. 2013;1:728–42.
10. Gotschi T, Heinrich J, Sunyer J, Kunzli N. Long-term effects of ambient air pollution on lung function: a review. Epidemiology. 2008;19:690–701.
11. Barone-Adesi F, Dent JE, Dajnak D, Beevers S, Anderson HR, Kelly FJ, Cook DG, Whincup PH. Long-term exposure to primary traffic pollutants and lung function in children: cross-sectional study and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0142565.
12. Brunekreef B, Janssen NA, de Hartog J, Harssema H, Knape M, van Vliet P. Air pollution from truck traffic and lung function in children living near motorways. Epidemiology. 1997;8:298–303.
13. Cakmak S, Hebbern C, Cakmak JD, Vanos J. The modifying effect of socioeconomic status on the relationship between traffic, air pollution and respiratory health in elementary schoolchildren. J Environ Manag. 2016;177:1–8.
14. Dales R, Wheeler A, Mahmud M, Frescura AM, Smith-Doiron M, Nethery E, Liu L. The influence of living near roadways on spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide in elementary schoolchildren. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116:1423–7.
15. Dockery DW, Speizer FE, Stram DO, Ware JH, Spengler JD, Ferris BG Jr. Effects of inhalable particles on respiratory health of children. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989;139:587–94.
16. Eeftens M, Hoek G, Gruzieva O, Molter A, Agius R, Beelen R, Brunekreef B, Custovic A, Cyrys J, Fuertes E, et al. Elemental composition of particulate matter and the association with lung function. Epidemiology. 2014;25:648–57.
17. Eenhuizen E, Gehring U, Wijga AH, Smit HA, Fischer PH, Brauer M, Koppelman GH, Kerkhof M, de Jongste JC, Brunekreef B, et al. Traffic-related air pollution is related to interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children. Eur Respir J. 2013;41:1257–63.
18. Frye C, Hoelscher B, Cyrys J, Wjst M, Wichmann HE, Heinrich J. Association of lung function with declining ambient air pollution. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111:383–7.
19. Fuertes E, Bracher J, Flexeder C, Markevych I, Klumper C, Hoffmann B, Kramer U, von Berg A, Bauer CP, Koletzko S, et al. Long-term air pollution exposure and lung function in 15 year-old adolescents living in an urban and rural area in Germany: the GINIplus and LISAplus cohorts. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2015;218:656–65.
20. Gao Y, Chan EYY, Li LP, He QQ, Wong TW. Chronic effects of ambient air pollution on lung function among Chinese children. Arch Dis Child. 2013;98:128–35.
21. • Gehring U, Gruzieva O, Agius RM, Beelen R, Custovic A, Cyrys J, Eeftens M, Flexeder C, Fuertes E, Heinrich J, et al. Air pollution exposure and lung function in children: the ESCAPE project. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121:1357–64. A well-designed study with harmonized and standardized air pollution data from several European birth cohorts, showing that exposure to air pollution at the current address may result in reduced lung function in school-aged children.
22. Gehring U, Beelen R, Eeftens M, Hoek G, de Hoogh K, de Jongste JC, Keuken M, Koppelman GH, Meliefste K, Oldenwening M, et al. Particulate matter composition and respiratory health the PIAMA birth cohort study. Epidemiology. 2015;26:300–9.
23. Hirsch T, Weiland SK, von Mutius E, Safeca AF, Grafe H, Csaplovics E, Duhme H, Keil U, Leupold W. Inner city air pollution and respiratory health and atopy in children. Eur Respir J. 1999;14:669–77.
24. Hoek G, Pattenden S, Willers S, Antova T, Fabianova E, Braun-Fahrlander C, Forastiere F, Gehring U, Luttmann-Gibson H, Grize L, et al. PM10, and children’s respiratory symptoms and lung function in the PATY study. Eur Respir J. 2012;40:538–47.
25. Islam T, Urman R, Gauderman WJ, Milam J, Lurmann F, Shankardass K, Avol E, Gilliland F, McConnell R. Parental stress increases the detrimental effect of traffic exposure on children’s lung function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011;184:822–7.
26. Janssen NA, Brunekreef B, van Vliet P, Aarts F, Meliefste K, Harssema H, Fischer P. The relationship between air pollution from heavy traffic and allergic sensitization, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and respiratory symptoms in Dutch schoolchildren. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111:1512–8.
27. Lee YL, Wang WH, Lu CW, Lin YH, Hwang BF. Effects of ambient air pollution on pulmonary function among schoolchildren. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2011;214:369–75.
28. •• Morales E, Garcia-Esteban R, de la Cruz OA, Basterrechea M, Lertxundi A, de Dicastillo MD, Zabaleta C, Sunyer J. Intrauterine and early postnatal exposure to outdoor air pollution and lung function at preschool age. Thorax. 2015;70:64–73. The first study that explored air pollution exposure both in pregnancy and in early life, showing the strongest association for exposure during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy with lung function in 4.5 yr olds.
29. Neophytou AM, White MJ, Oh SS, Thakur N, Galanter JM, Nishimura KK, Pino-Yanes M, Torgerson DG, Gignoux CR, Eng C, et al. Air pollution and lung function in minority youth with asthma in the GALA II (genes-environments and admixture in Latino Americans) and SAGE II (study of African Americans, asthma, genes, and environments) studies. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016;193:1271–80.
30. Nicolai T, Carr D, Weiland SK, Duhme H, von Ehrenstein O, Wagner C, von Mutius E. Urban traffic and pollutant exposure related to respiratory outcomes and atopy in a large sample of children. Eur Respir J. 2003;21:956–63.
31. Nordling E, Berglind N, Melen E, Emenius G, Hallberg J, Nyberg F, Pershagen G, Svartengren M, Wickman M, Bellander T. Traffic-related air pollution and childhood respiratory symptoms, function and allergies. Epidemiology. 2008;19:401–8.
32. •• Oftedal B, Brunekreef B, Nystad W, Madsen C, Walker SE, Nafstad P. Residential outdoor air pollution and lung function in schoolchildren. Epidemiology. 2008;19:129–37. The first study to investigate the association between early life exposure to air pollution and school-age lung function, showing negative association between all time periods of exposure and lung function.
33. Peters JM, Avol E, Gauderman WJ, Linn WS, Navidi W, London SJ, Margolis H, Rappaport E, Vora H, Gong H Jr, et al. A study of twelve Southern California communities with differing levels and types of air pollution. II. Effects on pulmonary function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999;159:768–75.
34. Raizenne M, Neas LM, Damokosh AI, Dockery DW, Spengler JD, Koutrakis P, Ware JH, Speizer FE. Health effects of acid aerosols on north American children: pulmonary function. Environ Health Perspect. 1996;104:506–14.
35. Rice MB, Rifas-Shiman SL, Litonjua AA, Oken E, Gillman MW, Kloog I, Luttmann-Gibson H, Zanobetti A, Coull BA, Schwartz J, et al. Lifetime exposure to ambient pollution and lung function in children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016;193:881–8.
36. Schultz ES, Gruzieva O, Bellander T, Bottai M, Hallberg J, Kull I, Svartengren M, Melen E, Pershagen G. Traffic-related air pollution and lung function in children at 8 years of age: a birth cohort study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186:1286–91.
37. • Schultz ES, Hallberg J, Gustafsson PM, Bottai M, Bellander T, Bergstrom A, Kull I, Gruzieva O, Thunqvist P, Pershagen G, et al. Early life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and lung function in adolescence assessed with impulse oscillometry. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138:930–2. The first study to investigate small airway involvement using impulse oscillometry, showing association between increased air pollution levels in infancy and increased resistance in the small airways at 16 years of age.
38. Schwartz J. Lung function and chronic exposure to air pollution: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES II. Environ Res. 1989;50:309–21.
39. Sugiri D, Ranft U, Schikowski T, Kramer U. The influence of large-scale airborne particle decline and traffic-related exposure on children’s lung function. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114:282–8.
40. Svendsen ER, Gonzales M, Mukerjee S, Smith L, Ross M, Walsh D, Rhoney S, Andrews G, Ozkaynak H, Neas LM. GIS-modeled indicators of traffic-related air pollutants and adverse pulmonary health among children in El Paso, Texas. Am J Epidemiol. 2012;176:S131–41.
41. Wang M, Gehring U, Hoek G, Keuken M, Jonkers S, Beelen R, Eeftens M, Postma DS, Brunekreef B. Air pollution and lung function in Dutch children: a comparison of exposure estimates and associations based on land use regression and dispersion exposure modeling approaches. Environ Health Perspect. 2015;123:847–51.
42. Wjst M, Reitmeir P, Dold S, Wulff A, Nicolai T, von Loeffelholz-Colberg EF, von Mutius E. Road traffic and adverse effects on respiratory health in children. BMJ. 1993;307:596–600.
43. Avol EL, Gauderman WJ, Tan SM, London SJ, Peters JM. Respiratory effects of relocating to areas of differing air pollution levels. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001;164:2067–72.
44. Gauderman WJ, McConnell R, Gilliland F, London S, Thomas D, Avol E, Vora H, Berhane K, Rappaport EB, Lurmann F, et al. Association between air pollution and lung function growth in southern California children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000;162:1383–90.
45. Gauderman WJ, Gilliland GF, Vora H, Avol E, Stram D, McConnell R, Thomas D, Lurmann F, Margolis HG, Rappaport EB, et al. Association between air pollution and lung function growth in southern California children: results from a second cohort. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002;166:76–84.
46. •• Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Gilliland F, Vora H, Thomas D, Berhane K, McConnell R, Kuenzli N, Lurmann F, Rappaport E, et al. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:1057–67. The first longitudinal study to follow children over a 8-year period up to young adulthood. The authors could demonstrate associations between current levels of air pollution and attenuated lung function growth.
47. Gauderman WJ, Vora H, McConnell R, Berhane K, Gilliland F, Thomas D, Lurmann F, Avol E, Kunzli N, Jerrett M, et al. Effect of exposure to traffic on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age: a cohort study. Lancet. 2007;369:571–7.
48. •• Gauderman WJ, Urman R, Avol E, Berhane K, McConnell R, Rappaport E, Chang R, Lurmann F, Gilliland F. Association of improved air quality with lung development in children. N Engl J Med. 2015;372:905–13. A a very important longitudinal study, following three cohorts consecutively over a 13-year-period, showing that improvements in air quality were associated with positive effects on 4-year lung function growth.
49. He QQ, Wong TW, Du L, Jiang ZQ, Gao Y, Qiu H, Liu WJ, Wu JG, Wong A, Yu TS. Effects of ambient air pollution on lung function growth in Chinese schoolchildren. Respir Med. 2010;104:1512–20.
50. Horak F, Studnicka M, Gartner C, Spengler JD, Tauber E, Urbanek R, Veiter A, Frischer T. Particulate matter and lung function growth in children: a 3-yr follow-up study in Austrian schoolchildren. Eur Respir J. 2002;19:838–45.
51. • Molter A, Agius RM, de Vocht F, Lindley S, Gerrard W, Lowe L, Belgrave D, Custovic A, Simpson A. Long-term exposure to PM10 and NO2 in association with lung volume and airway resistance in the MAAS birth cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121:1232–8. A well-designed longitudinal study, improving the individual air pollution exposure assessment by including a micro-environmental model. One of few studies to include bronchodilator response. The study found deficits in lung function growth in relation to early life exposure. Stronger effects after bronchodilator treatment.
52. Neuberger M, Moshammer H, Kundi M. Declining ambient air pollution and lung function improvement in Austrian children. Atmos Environ. 2002;36:1733–6.
53. Rojas-Martinez R, Perez-Padilla R, Olaiz-Fernandez G, Mendoza-Alvarado L, Moreno-Macias H, Fortoul T, McDonnell W, Loomis D, Romieu I. Lung function growth in children with long-term exposure to air pollutants in Mexico City. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;176:377–84.
54. •• Schultz ES, Hallberg J, Bellander T, Bergstrom A, Bottai M, Chiesa F, Gustafsson PM, Gruzieva O, Thunqvist P, Pershagen G, et al. Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and lung function in adolescence. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016;193:171–7. The first study to follow children with life-time air pollution exposure data up to adolescence. Using advanced life-course statistical approaches, negative association between infancy exposure and lung function at 8 and 16 years of age were shown.
55. Perez L, Rapp R, Kunzli N. The year of the lung: outdoor air pollution and lung health. Swiss Med Wkly. 2010;140:w13129.
56. Brunekreef B, Holgate ST. Air pollution and health. Lancet. 2002;360:1233–42.
57. Romieu I, Garcia-Esteban R, Sunyer J, Rios C, Alcaraz-Zubeldia M, Velasco SR, Holguin F. The effect of supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on markers of oxidative stress in elderly exposed to PM(2.5). Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116:1237–42.
58. Gruzieva O, Xu CJ, Breton CV, Annesi-Maesano I, Anto JM, Auffray C, Ballereau S, Bellander T, Bousquet J, Bustamante M, et al. Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of methylation in children related to prenatal NO2 air pollution exposure. Environ Health Perspect. 2017;125:104–10.
59. Gref A, Merid SK, Gruzieva O, Ballereau S, Becker A, Bellander T, et al. Genome-wide interaction analysis of air pollution exposure and childhood asthma with functional follow-up. 2017;195:1373–83.
60. Churg A, Brauer M, del Carmen A-CM, Fortoul TI, Wright JL. Chronic exposure to high levels of particulate air pollution and small airway remodeling. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111:714–8.
61. Annesi-Maesano I, Dinh-Xuan AT. Is exhaled nitric oxide a marker of air pollution effect? Eur Respir J. 2016;47:1304–6.
62. Turnovska TH, Marinov BI. The influence of air pollution during intrauterine development and early childhood on respiratory functions at later age. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2009;212:519–32.
63. Moshammer H, Hoek G, Luttmann-Gibson H, Neuberger MA, Antova T, Gehring U, Hruba F, Pattenden S, Rudnai P, Slachtova H, et al. Parental smoking and lung function in children: an international study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006;173:1255–63.
64. van der Wiel E, ten Hacken NH, Postma DS, van den Berge M. Small-airways dysfunction associates with respiratory symptoms and clinical features of asthma: a systematic review. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;131:646–57.
65. • Lipworth B, Manoharan A, Anderson W. Unlocking the quiet zone: the small airway asthma phenotype. Lancet Respir Med. 2014;2:497–506. An excellent review on small airway function and respiratory disease.
66. Shi Y, Aledia AS, Tatavoosian AV, Vijayalakshmi S, Galant SP, George SC. Relating small airways to asthma control by using impulse oscillometry in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012;129:671–8.
67. McNulty W, Usmani OS. Techniques of assessing small airways dysfunction. Eur Clin Respir J. 2014;1
68. Quanjer PH, Weiner DJ, Pretto JJ, Brazzale DJ, Boros PW. Measurement of FEF25-75% and FEF75% does not contribute to clinical decision making. Eur Respir J. 2014;43:1051–8.
69. Kuehl PJ, Anderson TL, Candelaria G, Gershman B, Harlin K, Hesterman JY, Holmes T, Hoppin J, Lackas C, Norenberg JP, et al. Regional particle size dependent deposition of inhaled aerosols in rats and mice. Inhal Toxicol. 2012;24:27–35.
70. Berend N. Contribution of air pollution to COPD and small airway dysfunction. Respirology. 2016;21:237–44.
71. Pellegrino R, Viegi G, Brusasco V, Crapo RO, Burgos F, Casaburi R, Coates A, van der Grinten CP, Gustafsson P, Hankinson J, et al. Interpretative strategies for lung function tests. Eur Respir J. 2005;26:948–68.
72. Goldman MD, Saadeh C, Ross D. Clinical applications of forced oscillation to assess peripheral airway function. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2005;148:179–94.
73. Foy BH, Kay D. A computational comparison of the multiple-breath washout and forced oscillation technique as markers of bronchoconstriction. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2017;240:61–9.
74. Moshammer H, Hutter HP, Hauck H, Neuberger M. Low levels of air pollution induce changes of lung function in a panel of schoolchildren. Eur Respir J. 2006;27:1138–43.
75. Oppenheimer BW, Goldring RM, Herberg ME, Hofer IS, Reyfman PA, Liautaud S, Rom WN, Reibman J, Berger KI. Distal airway function in symptomatic subjects with normal spirometry following World Trade Center dust exposure. Chest. 2007;132:1275–82.
76. Carey MA, Card JW, Voltz JW, Arbes SJ Jr, Germolec DR, Korach KS, Zeldin DC. It’s all about sex: gender, lung development and lung disease. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2007;18:308–13.
77. Doershuk CF, Fisher BJ, Matthews LW. Specific airway resistance from the perinatal period into adulthood. Alterations in childhood pulmonary disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1974;109:452–7.
78. Hsu HH, Chiu YH, Coull BA, Kloog I, Schwartz J, Lee A, Wright RO, Wright RJ. Prenatal particulate air pollution and asthma onset in urban children. Identifying sensitive windows and sex differences. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015;192:1052–9.
79. Keselman A, Heller N. Estrogen signaling modulates allergic inflammation and contributes to sex differences in asthma. Front Immunol. 2015;6:568.
80. Carlsten C, Brauer M, Dimich-Ward H, Dybuncio A, Becker AB, Chan-Yeung M. Combined exposure to dog and indoor pollution: incident asthma in a high-risk birth cohort. Eur Respir J. 2011;37:324–30.
81. Jorres R, Nowak D, Magnussen H. The effect of ozone exposure on allergen responsiveness in subjects with asthma or rhinitis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996;153:56–64.
82. • Carlsten C, Blomberg A, Pui M, Sandstrom T, Wong SW, Alexis N, Hirota J. Diesel exhaust augments allergen-induced lower airway inflammation in allergic individuals: a controlled human exposure study. Thorax. 2016;71:35–44. In this controlled experimnetal study, the authors conclude that allergic individuals are a susceptible population to the deleterious airway effects of diesel exhaust.
83. Holgate ST. The sentinel role of the airway epithelium in asthma pathogenesis. Immunol Rev. 2011;242:205–19.
84. Clifford RL, Jones MJ, MacIsaac JL, McEwen LM, Goodman SJ, Mostafavi S, Kobor MS, Carlsten C. Inhalation of diesel exhaust and allergen alters human bronchial epithelium DNA methylation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;