Traffic pollution hurts kids with asthma

CUERNAVACA, Mexico, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Traffic pollution, especially in cities, adversely affects respiratory health in children with asthma, a team of researchers in Mexico said.

Study leader Dr. Isabelle Romieu of the Institute Nacional de Sauld Publica correlated pollutants associated with exacerbation of respiratory symptoms in asthmatic children.

The study involved 147 asthmatic children and 50 non-asthmatic children, between the ages of 6 and 14, who were recruited through a pediatric hospital in Mexico City.

Parents kept a daily record of coughing and wheezing experienced by their children, as well as medication usage. Atmospheric levels of the pollutants ozone, nitrogen dioxide and diesel particles were recorded in Mexico City during the study.

The study, published in Respiratory Research, found that in asthmatic children, coughing, wheezing and medication usage was associated with increased levels of atmospheric pollutants. In healthy volunteers, increased coughing was only seen with higher levels of nitrogen dioxide.

Children living in areas with high levels of traffic more often experienced worsening of asthma symptoms and greater use of medication, the researchers said.