title: Traffic-related air pollution is related to interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children.
abstract: Outdoor air pollution has been associated with decrements in lung function and growth of lung function in school-age children. Lung function effects have not been examined in preschoolers, with the exception of one study on minute ventilation in newborns. Our goal was to assess the relationship between long- and short-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children. Lung function was measured using the interrupter resistance method in children participating in a Dutch birth cohort study. Long-term average air pollution concentrations of fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and soot at the residential address at birth were assessed using land-use regression models. Daily average air pollution concentrations on the day of clinical examination were obtained from the Dutch National Air Quality Monitoring Network. Significant associations were found between long-term average air pollution concentrations and interrupter resistance. Interrupter resistance increased by 0.04 kPa·s·L(-1) (95% CI 0.01-0.07) per interquartile range increase (3.3 μg·m(-3)) in fine particle concentration. Short-term exposure was not associated with interrupter resistance. Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution was associated with increased interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children, supporting previous birth cohort studies reporting effects of air pollution on subjectively reported respiratory symptoms in preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eenhuizen
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.forename: Alet H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wijga
authors.forename: Henriette A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brauer
authors.forename: Gerard H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Koppelman
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerkhof
authors.forename: Johan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jongste
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunekreef
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hoek
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000503:physiopathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D053260:Soot / Q000032:analysis; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D053260:Soot; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
keywords: Air pollution; children; interrupter resistance; lung function; particulate matter