Air Pollution and Lung Development in Children

James Gauderman, Ph.D., Frank Gilliland, MD, Ph.D., Rob McConnell, MD, and John Peters, MD.
University of Southern California
P30ES07048 and P01ES11627

Background: There is mounting evidence that exposure to air pollution has long-term effects on lung development in children. Reductions in lung function have been found in studies in Europe and the United States. To further investigate these effects, this NIEHS-supported research team performed a prospective epidemiologic study on 1,759 children from 12 communities in Southern California. Lung function tests were performed annually for 8 years. The communities had a wide-range of exposures to air pollutants including particulate matter, acid aerosols, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide.

Advance: Over the 8-year period, decreases in a measurement of lung function known as forced expiratory volume (FEV) were associated with exposure to nitrogen dioxide, acid aerosols, particulate matter and elemental carbon. Exposure to these pollutants was associated with statistically and, more importantly, clinically significant deficits in FEV. For example, the risk of low FEV was almost 5 times higher at the highest level of particulate matter exposure than at the lowest level.

Implications: The results of the study indicate that current ambient levels of air pollution have chronic and adverse effects on lung development in children leading to clinically significant deficits in FEV as these children reach adulthood. The authors conclude that these results can be generalized to children living in other parts of the United States that have high air pollution levels. Given the severity of the effects and the importance of lung development as a determinant of morbidity and mortality during adulthood, continued emphasis on identification of strategies for reducing levels of air pollution is warranted.

Citation: Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Gilliland F, Vora H, Thomas D, Berhane K, McConnell R, Kuenzli N, Lurmann F, Rappaport E, Margolis H, Bates D, and Peters J. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N Engl J Med, 351 (11): 1-11.