The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Whether exposure to air pollution adversely affects the growth of lung function during the period of rapid lung development that occurs between the ages of 10 and 18 years is unknown. METHODS: In this prospective study, we recruited 1759 children (average age, 10 years) from schools in 12 southern California communities and measured lung function annually for eight years. The rate of attrition was approximately 10 percent per year. The communities represented a wide range of ambient exposures to ozone, acid vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship of air pollution to the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) and other spirometric measures. RESULTS: Over the eight-year period, deficits in the growth of FEV(1) were associated with exposure to nitrogen dioxide (P=0.005), acid vapor (P=0.004), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 microm (PM(2.5)) (P=0.04), and elemental carbon (P=0.007), even after adjustment for several potential confounders and effect modifiers. Associations were also observed for other spirometric measures. Exposure to pollutants was associated with clinically and statistically significant deficits in the FEV(1) attained at the age of 18 years. For example, the estimated proportion of 18-year-old subjects with a low FEV(1) (defined as a ratio of observed to expected FEV(1) of less than 80 percent) was 4.9 times as great at the highest level of exposure to PM(2.5) as at the lowest level of exposure (7.9 percent vs. 1.6 percent, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that current levels of air pollution have chronic, adverse effects on lung development in children from the age of 10 to 18 years, leading to clinically significant deficits in attained FEV(1) as children reach adulthood.
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Long-term exposures to ozone have been associated with lower lung function and deteriorated or abnormal lung development in children.
“Long-term exposures to ozone have been associated with lower lung function and deteriorated or abnormal lung development in children (31, 32).”
From Ozone pollution: A Major health hazard worldwide (2019) · cites this paper as [31]
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- Authors
- Gauderman, W. J., Avol, E., Gilliland, F., Vora, H., Thomas, D., Berhane, K., McConnell, R., Kuenzli, N., Lurmann, F., Rappaport, E., Margolis, H., Bates, D., & Peters, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Southern California (US)
- From the Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles (W.J.G., E.A., F.G., H.V., D.T., K.B., R.M., N.K., E.R., J.P.); Sonoma Technology, Petaluma, Calif. (F.L.); Air Resources Board, State of California, Sacramento (H.M.); and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (D.B.).
- ORCID
- Venue
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Published
- 2004-09-09
- Volume
- 351
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1057-1067
- ISSN
- 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4406
- OpenAlex
- W2154704691
- Cited by
- 1,440
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 43 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 89 · 2014: 64 · 2013: 78 · 2012: 79
- FWCI
- 46.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1 P01 ES11627, 5P30-ES07048, P01ES011627, P30ES007048)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research
- Keywords
- air pollution, lung development, lung function, FEV1, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, PM2.5, ozone, elemental carbon, children's exposure, adolescent growth, long-term exposure, spirometry
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Air Pollutants, Air Pollution, California, Child, Environmental Monitoring, Female, Forced Expiratory Volume, Humans, Lung, Male, Maximal Midexpiratory Flow Rate, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Particle Size, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reference Values, Spirometry, Vital Capacity, Linear Models
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