Air pollution exposure and respiratory health

Background: Studies relating air pollution exposures and health in children tend to show inconsistent associations. The most of the studies rely on the front-door air pollution estimates to represent individual exposure; however, there is evidence that residential address exposures tend to misclassify exposure. Aim: This study aims to assess the relations between air pollution exposures and pulmonary status by applying a sophisticated exposure assessment technique. Methods: The study relies on a Dutch cohort which includes 733 children. The prevalence of asthma and wheeze were determined at age 5. The annual average concentration maps of Particle Matters and Nitrogen Oxides at 5m resolution used in the study derived from the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects. To assess air pollution individual exposure an updated exposure assessment technique was applied; this technique defines individual air pollution exposure as the time-weighted air pollution concentration for each activity place visited by each child. Results: This study did not show a significant association between air pollution exposures and pulmonary health in young children. For example, after adjusting for possible confounders, the ORs were 1.2 (95% CI: 0.86, 1.61) and 1.2 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.64) for wheezing prevalence for NOx and PM2.5 respectively.