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Ambient air pollution triggers wheezing symptoms in infants

¹ Department of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
² Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
³ Department of Atmospheric Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Denmark
⁴ Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Copenhagen

Correspondence to:
Mrs Z J Andersen, Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen University, Øster Farimagsgade 5 Entr. B, P O Box 2099, 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark; zorana{at}cancer.dk

Background: There is limited evidence for the role of air pollution in the development and triggering of wheezing symptoms in young children. A study was undertaken to examine the effect of exposure to air pollution on wheezing symptoms in children under the age of 3 years with genetic susceptibility to asthma.

Methods: Daily recordings of symptoms were obtained for 205 children participating in the birth cohort study Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Children and living in Copenhagen for the first 3 years of life. Daily air pollution levels for particulate matter <10 µm in diameter (PM₁₀) and the concentrations of ultrafine particles, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and carbon monoxide (CO) were available from a central background monitoring station in Copenhagen. The association between incident wheezing symptoms and air pollution on the concurrent and previous 4 days was estimated by a logistic regression model (generalised estimating equation) controlling for temperature, season, gender, age, exposure to smoking and paternal history of asthma.

Results: Significant positive associations were found between concentrations of PM₁₀, NO₂, NO_x, CO and wheezing symptoms in infants (aged 0–1 year) with a delay of 3–4 days. Only the traffic-related gases (NO₂, NO_x) showed significant effects throughout the 3 years of life, albeit attenuating after the age of 1 year.

Conclusions: Air pollution related to traffic is significantly associated with triggering of wheezing symptoms in the first 3 years of life.