American children with asthma living in poor, urban areas are particularly vulnerable to respiratory health problems, a consequence of poor air quality in inner-city neighborhoods.
Fluctuations in air pollution levels, including motor vehicle exhaust and other pollutants, was closely associated with asthma symptoms and school absence among children in inner-city neighborhoods, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI). The JACI is the official journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).
Over the two-year study, George T. O’Connor, MD, and colleagues followed more than 850 children with asthma living in low-income areas of seven major U.S. urban communities – Boston, the Bronx, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Seattle and Tucson.
Researchers measured regularly the children’s asthma symptoms, school absences and breathing function and compared it to daily outdoor pollution data. They found that asthma symptoms and asthma-related school absences increased following periods with higher concentrations of pollutants, including motor vehicle emissions (nitrogen dioxide), sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter.
The adverse health effects were witnessed even when pollutant concentrations remained below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards – the federal measure at which pollutants are considered harmful to public health.