title: Association between Traffic Air Pollution and Reduced Forced Vital Capacity: A Study Using Personal Monitors for Outdoor Workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effects of outdoor air pollution on lung function in adults are still controversial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the effects of exposure to different levels of traffic-generated PM2.5 on workers' lung functions in São Paulo, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  To cover a wide range of exposures, 101 non-smoking workers from three occupations (taxi drivers, traffic controllers, and forest rangers) were selected for the study. After clinical evaluation, the participants were scheduled to attend four consecutive weekly visits in which they received a 24-hour personal PM2.5 sampler and had lung function tests measured on the following day. The association between the spirometric variables and the averaged PM2.5 levels was assessed using robust regression models adjusted for age, waist circumference, time at the job, daily work hours, diabetes or hypertension and former smoking habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to workers in the lowest exposed group (all measures < 25 μg/m3), those with the highest level of exposure (all measures > 39.6 μg/m3) showed a reduction of predicted FVC (-12.2%; CI 95%: [-20.0% to -4.4%]), a marginal reduction of predicted FEV1 (-9.1%; CI 95%: [-19.1% to 0.9%]) and an increase of predicted FEF25-75%/FVC (14.9%; CI 95%: [2.9% to 26.8%]) without changes of FEV1/FVC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to vehicular traffic air pollution is associated with a small but significant reduction of FVC without a reduction of FEV1/FVC.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Division of Heart Institute (InCor) do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ubiratan Paula
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Therapeutics, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Lúcia Siqueira Bueno
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Environmental Epidemiology Study Group, Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.|Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Group, Collective Health Post-Graduation Program, Catholic University of Santos, Santos, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alfésio Luís Ferreira
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.affiliation: Environmental Epidemiology Study Group, Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.|Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Group, Collective Health Post-Graduation Program, Catholic University of Santos, Santos, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Alberto Amador
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Environmental Epidemiology Study Group, Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.|Department of Internal Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Chin An
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Department of Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Afonso
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: de André
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Department of Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.|Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carmen Diva Saldiva
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: de André
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Julio da Motta
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Department of Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Hilário Nascimento
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Saldiva
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions