THURSDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- A child's risk of
developing allergies increases by up to 50 percent from pollution
caused by traffic, a rate that increases the closer the child grows
up next to major roads, a new study says.
The findings, published in the June issue of the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,
revealed significant links between the distance to the nearest road
and asthmatic bronchitis, hay fever, eczema and allergic
sensitizations.
"[Children] 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 more freshly emitted aerosols which may be
more toxic," wrote lead author Joachim Heinrich, of the German
Research Center for Environment and Health at the Institute of
Epidemiology in Munich.
The researchers examined the level of exposure to traffic
pollutants for almost 6,000 children, ages 4 and 6, based in part
on how far their homes were from major roads at different times
during their lives. The children were tested for asthma, wheezing,
sneezing, eczema and food allergies, while their parents answered
questionnaires about their child's respiratory diagnoses and
symptoms. Testing for particulate matter (commonly called soot) and
nitrogen dioxide was also conducted near 40 high-traffic areas
during each season between March 1999 and July 2000.
Pollution and allergies have been linked in previous studies,
but the association was often attributed to socioeconomic factors,
not the distance from major roads.
"We consistently found strong associations between the distance
to the nearest main road and the allergic disease outcomes,"
Heinrich wrote. "Children living closer than 50 meters to a busy
street had the highest probability of getting allergic symptoms,
compared to children living further away."
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about
possible health effects of air pollution.
