Exacerbations of COPD - Environmental mechanisms

Air pollution as a trigger for exacerbations of COPD has been recognized fo r > 50 years, and has led to the development of air quality standards in ma ny countries that substantially decreased the levels of air pollutants deri ved from the burning of fossil fuels, such as black smoke and sulfur dioxid e. However, the recent dramatic increase in motor vehicle traffic has produ ced a relative increase in the levels of newer pollutants, such as ozone an d fine-particulate air pollution < 10 mu m in diameter. Numerous epidemiolo gic studies have shown associations between the levels of these air polluta nts and adverse health effects, such as exacerbations of airways diseases a nd even deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular causes. Elucidation of t he mechanism of the harmful effects of these pollutants should allow improv ed risk assessment for patients with airways diseases who are be susceptibl e to the effects of these air pollutants.