Traffic pollution and asthma attacks

Asthmatic children exposed to traffic pollution before getting a viral infection have more serious asthma attacks, according to a recent research. In children, about 80 percent of attacks are due to viruses and most of them are from the common cold virus. Researchers at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth, England, have discovered that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) from vehicle exhaust exacerbates the attacks. It reduces the lung function and increases the symptoms after a virus infection by as much as 200 percent. NO₂ is common but the main sources indoors and outdoors are gas stoves and traffic pollution respectively. The researchers measured the personal exposures of 114 asthmatic children between the ages of 8-11 from non-smoking families over almost a whole year. They found a strong relationship between higher NO₂ pollution and the severity of an attack. With up to 150 million people worldwide suffering from asthma and cases expected to rise by 50 percent every 10 years, the researchers said that the findings could have important public health implications. Asthma affects the airways - small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. It occurs when the tubes swell up and go into spasm, blocking the free passage of air in and out of the lungs. People with the illness suffer from coughs, wheezing and shortness of breath. A very severe attack can even kill. Colds, the flu, cigarette smoke, pollen, stress and pollution can trigger an asthma attack. There is no cure for it but it can be controlled with drugs. The aim should be - controlling air pollution to perhaps reduce the number of severe attacks of asthma.