Traffic-related air pollution affects peak expiratory flow, exhaled nitricoxide, and inflammatory nasal markers

The authors used a longitudinal observational design, with repeated measure s, to study the association between traffic-related air pollutants (i.e., n itric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and Black Smoke) and respir atory symptoms. Subjects (N = 82) attended an elementary school in either U trecht (i.e., urban children) or Bilthoven (i.e., suburban children). These two geographic areas differed with respect to levels of Black Smoke (means = 53 mug/m(3) and 18 mug/m(3), respectively). Levels of nitric oxide, nitr ogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and Black Smoke were consistently higher in Utrecht than in Bilthoven (mean daily ratios were 8, 1.5, 1.8, and 2.7, res pectively). The authors compared mean levels of short-term effects of the a forementioned air pollutants on suburban and urban children. Urban children had higher mean levels (p = .05) of interleukin-8 (32%), urea (39%), uric acid (26%), albumin (15%), and nitric oxide metabolites (21%) in nasal lava ge than did suburban children. Peak expiratory flow, exhaled nitric oxide l evels, and nasal markers were associated with levels of particulate matter with diameters less than or equal to 10 mum, Black Smoke, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide. With respect to per-unit increases in air pollution, urb an children had more increased peak expiratory flow higher levels of exhale d nitric oxide, and more increased release of uric acid, urea, and nitric o xide metabolites than suburban children. In summary, urban children had inc reased levels of inflammatory nasal markers, and their responses were more pronounced than were the suburban children's responses to the same incremen ts of air pollution.