title: Associations between lung function and estimated average exposure to NO2 in eight areas of Switzerland. The SAPALDIA Team. Swiss Study of Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults.
abstract: In this paper, we present results from the SAPALDIA study (Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults) regarding associations between lung function [forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)], as assessed during the cross-sectional study in 1991, and average levels of NO2 exposure within the eight study communities. We distinguished average home outdoor exposure and average personal exposure to NO2 and obtained exposure estimates by computing regional averages of passive sampler measurements performed by a random subsample of SAPALDIA participants in 1993. Previous analyses had revealed associations between average lung function and average air pollution levels between communities. The present results show that such associations may also be seen within communities: a 10-micrograms per m3 increase in average home outdoor and personal exposure to NO2 between zones of residence of the same community was associated with a change in average FVC by -0.59% [95% confidence limits (CL) = 0.01, -1.19] and -0.74% (95% CL = -0.07, -1.41), respectively. These values, however, are smaller than the ones found for the corresponding associations between study communities: -1.67% (95% CL = -1.01, -2.33) and -2.93% (95% CL = -2.11, -3.75), respectively. The different magnitudes of these two types of associations might be explained by differences in spatial variation between various components of air pollution.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ackermann-Liebrich
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leuenberger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Monn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rapp
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bolognini
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bongard
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brändli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Domenighetti
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Karrer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Medici
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Perruchoud
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Schöni
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tschopp
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Villiger
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zellweger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000187:drug effects*; D013557:Switzerland; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide