Health Effects of Ozone and Particle Pollution cont'd

Air Pollution Increases Risk of Underdeveloped Lungs
Another finding from the Southern California Children’s Health study looked at the long-term effects of particle pollution on teenagers. Tracking 1,759 children between ages 10 and 18, researchers found that those who grew up in more polluted areas faced the increased risk of having underdeveloped lungs, which may never recover to their full capacity. The average drop in lung function was 20 percent below what was expected for the child’s age, similar to the impact of growing up in a home with parents who smoked.⁵⁷

Community health studies are pointing to less obvious, but serious, effects from year-round exposure to ozone, especially for children. Scientists followed 500 Yale University students and determined that living just four years in a region with high levels of ozone and related co-pollutants was associated with diminished lung function and frequent reports of respiratory symptoms.⁵⁸ A much larger study of 3,300 school children in Southern California found reduced lung function in girls with asthma and boys who spent more time outdoors in areas with high levels of ozone.⁵⁹

Cleaning Up Pollution Can Reduce Risk to Children
There is also real-world evidence that reducing air pollution can help protect children. Two new studies published in 2005 added more weight to the argument.

Changes in air pollution from the reunification of Germany proved a real-life laboratory. Both East and West Germany had different levels and sources of particles. Outdoor particle levels were much higher in East Germany, where they came from factories and homes. West Germany had higher concentrations of trafficgenerated particles. After reunification, emissions from the factories and homes dropped, but traffic increased. A German study explored the impact on the lungs of six-year olds from both East and West Germany. Total lung capacity improved with the lower particle levels. However, for those children living near busy roads, the increased pollution from the increased traffic kept them from benefiting from the overall cleaner air.⁶⁰

In Switzerland, particle pollution dropped during a period in the 1990s. Researchers there tracked 9,000 children over a nine-year period, following their respiratory symptoms. After taking other factors such as family characteristics and indoor air pollution into account, the researchers noted that during the years with less pollution, the children had fewer episodes of chronic cough, bronchitis, common cold, and conjunctivitis symptoms.⁶¹

In this country, the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, remains one of the most interesting cases. Atlanta is a prime example of an urban area with a history of serious ozone problems. The determined efforts of the city to reduce traffic during the Olympics succeeded in not just reducing congestion, but in improving the health of children with asthma. Concerned with an expected traffic nightmare, the city brought in more buses, more subway cars, and encouraged ridesharing and telecommuting during the Summer Olympic Games. These measures created a prolonged period of low ozone pollution that resulted in significantly lower rates of childhood asthma events for children aged 1–16. The number of asthma acute care events (e.g., treatment and hospitalization) decreased 42 percent in the Georgia Medicaid claims files. Pediatric emergency departments also saw significant reductions, as did the Georgia Hospital Discharge Database and a health maintenance organization database. It is important to note researchers determined that weather was not the determining factor in the reduced ozone levels.⁶²

Living Near Highways May Be Especially Dangerous
Back to the truck we talked about earlier. Being in heavy traffic, or living near a road, may be even more dangerous than being in other places in a community. Several studies have found that the vehicle emissions coming directly from those highways may be higher than in the community as a whole, increasing the risk of harm to people who live or work near busy roads.

In San Francisco, researchers found in 2004 an increase in bronchitis and physician-diagnosed asthma in children who lived near highways.⁶³ A newer study of children in 10 communities in Southern California also found that the closer children lived to a freeway, the greater their chances of having asthma.⁶⁴ Studies have found increased risk of premature death from living near a major highway or an urban road.⁶⁵ Another study found an increase in risk of heart attacks from being in traffic, whether driving or taking public transportation.⁶⁶

How To Protect Yourself from Ozone, Particle Pollution
To minimize your exposure to ozone and particle pollution:

• Pay attention to forecasts for high air pollution days to know when to take precautions;
• Avoid exercising near high-traffic areas; 
• Avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high, or substitute an activity that requires less exertion;
• Eliminate indoor smoking; and
• Reduce the use of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.

Bottom line: Avoid doing anything that causes you to breathe very deeply on days when pollution levels are high. The more deeply you breathe, the deeper into your lungs the particles will go. Listen to local news reports about air quality and reduce your exposure. Support national, state and local efforts to clean up sources of pollution, as discussed in this report.