AIR-POLLUTION FROM TRUCK TRAFFIC AND LUNG-FUNCTION IN CHILDREN LIVINGNEAR MOTORWAYS

The contribution of motorized traffic to air pollution is widely recog nized, but relatively few studies have looked at the respiratory healt h status of subjects living near busy roads. We studied children in si x areas located near major motorways in the Netherlands. We measured l ung function in the children, and we assessed their exposure to traffi c-related air pollution using separate traffic counts for automobiles and trucks. We also measured air pollution in the children's schools. Lung function was associated with truck traffic density but had a less er association with automobile traffic density. The association was st ronger in children living closest (<300 m) to the motorways. Lung func tion was also associated with the concentration of black smoke, measur ed inside the schools, as a proxy for diesel exhaust particles. The as sociations were stronger in girls than in boys. The results indicate t hat exposure to traffic-related air pollution, in particular diesel ex haust particles, may lead to reduced lung function in children living near major motorways.