Early exposure to air pollution may reduce lung function development
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Early exposure to high levels of air pollution may be associated with reduced lung function during adolescence, researchers reported at the virtual European Respiratory Society International Congress.
“The adverse effects of early-life air pollution exposure may persist up to adolescence with a variety of adverse outcomes such as asthma,” Qi Zhao, MD, adjunct research fellow in the department of epidemiology and preventive medicine at Monash University, Australia, said during his presentation. “However, there are currently limited and inconsistent funding of impacts of air pollution exposure during infancy on pediatric lung function growth.”
Zhao and colleagues analyzed data from 915 children living in German regions of Wesel and Munich. All were from the GINIplus and LISA birth cohorts and had at least two spirometric measurements to record FVC and FEV1 at age 6, 10 and 15 years. These measurements were compared with estimates of pollution levels in the areas where the children lived during their first year of life. Family smoking history was also considered.
The annual decline in lung function per interquartile range increase in air pollutants during the first year of life for children living in Wesel ranged from –0.009 (95% CI, –0.011 to –0.007) to –0.021 (95% CI, –0.026 to –0.015) for FEV1 and from –0.004 (95% CI, –0.006 to –0.002) to –0.01 (95% CI, –0.016 to –0.004) for FVC. Researchers observed a significant reduction in FEV1 in the Munich region from –0.017 (95% CI, –0.027 to –0.007) to –0.027 (95% CI, –0.047 to –0.008).
Children who developed asthma from age 3 to 15 years and children who breastfed less than 12 weeks showed higher levels of reduced lung function.
According to Zhao, these findings may support the conclusion that breastfeeding may potentially reduce the risk of early air pollution exposure.
“Our results suggest that babies who grow up breathing polluted air, even at levels below EU regulations, have poorer breathing as they grow into children and adults,” Zhao said in the release. “This is worrying because previous research suggests that damage to lungs in the first year of life can affect respiratory health throughout life.”