title: The association of ambient air pollution with airway inflammation in schoolchildren.
abstract: The biologic mechanisms involved in airway inflammatory response to air pollution are not clearly understood. The authors conducted a longitudinal study to investigate whether exposure to ambient air pollutants affected inflammatory cells and mediators from nasal lavage in schoolchildren. Study participants were 100 elementary and middle-school students in New Taipei City, Taiwan. A structured respiratory health questionnaire was administered in September 2007, followed by monthly measurement of nasal inflammation from October 2007 to November 2009. During the study period, daily concentrations of air pollutants were obtained from the Environmental Protection Administration monitoring station and the Aerosol Supersite. Mixed-effects models were applied to examine the association between air pollution and nasal inflammatory cells and mediators, including percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes in lavaged cells and interleukin-8. A total of 824 measurements were obtained from 100 participants over a period of 10 months. The level of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM(2.5)) was found to be associated with percentage of neutrophils (β = 3.45%, 95% confidence interval: 0.89, 6.01) and interleukin-8 level (β = 29.98 pg/mL, 95% confidence interval: 3.26, 56.69) in the nasal lavage on the day of exposure. In this longitudinal cohort study of schoolchildren, results indicated that exposure to PM(2.5) might induce nasal inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU) and NTU Hospital, 17, Syujhou Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bing-Yu
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chang-Chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Chung-Te
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tsun-Jen
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Wen-Chuan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ji-Ci
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jhou
authors.forename: Yueh-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Chu-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yue Leon
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8; D052638:Particulate Matter