Lung function, airway inflammation, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure in mexican schoolchildren: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the association of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with lung function and pH of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in Mexican schoolchildren.


METHODS
A pilot study was performed in a subsample of 64 schoolchildren from Mexico City. Lung function and pH of EBC were measured and metabolites of PAHs in urine samples were determined. The association was analyzed using robust regression models.


RESULTS
A 10% increase in the concentrations of 2-hydroxyfluorene was significantly negatively associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (-11.2 mL, 95% CI: -22.2 to -0.02), forced vital capacity (-11.6 mL, 95% CI: -22.9 to -0.2), and pH of EBC (-0.035, 95% CI: -0.066 to -0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Biomarkers of PAHs exposure were inversely associated with lung function and decrease of ph of EBC as a marker of airway inflammation in Mexican schoolchildren.
From the National Institute of Public Health (Drs Barraza-Villarreal, Hernandez-Cadena, and Romieu and Ms Escamilla-Nuñez and Ms Schilmann), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (Drs Li, Romanoff, and Sjödin); Atlanta, Ga; Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez (Dr Del Río-Navarro), Mexico DF, Mexico; United States Environmental Protection Agency (Dr Díaz-Sanchez), Research Triangle Park, NC; Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosi (Dr Díaz-Barriga), San Luis Potosí, Mexico; Division of Clinical Sciences (Dr Sly), Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth; and International Agency for Research on Cancer (Dr Romieu), Lyon, France.
Albino
A
Barraza-Villarreal
Maria Consuelo
MC
Escamilla-Nuñez
Astrid
A
Schilmann
Leticia
L
Hernandez-Cadena
Zheng
Z
Li
Lovisa
L
Romanoff
Andreas
A
Sjödin
Blanca Estela
BE
Del Río-Navarro
David
D
Díaz-Sanchez
Fernando
F
Díaz-Barriga
Peter
P
Sly
Isabelle
I
Romieu
D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D015415:Biomarkers; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons