Researcher Studies Long-term Effects of Air Pollution on Children
with Asthma
Kathleen Mortimer, Sc.D., MPH, wants to know how air pollution
affects children with asthma. She knows it often causes them to
cough and wheeze, but she wonders about the long-term consequences.
"After the asthma attack is over, is there a long-term
effect on lung function?" she asks.
The researcher from the University of California, Berkeley, is
conducting a separate analysis of data collected on children who
were part of the Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment Study
(FACES), which examined 250 children with asthma over a five-year
period. Fresno has some of the most polluted air in the nation
and one of the highest asthma rates.
Asthma is an inflammatory lung disease that affects more than
2.3 million people in California. It causes the airways to become
constricted, blocking the free flow of air to the lungs. While
there is no cure for asthma, it can be controlled with medication
and by reducing exposure to triggers that cause the airways to
become irritated, including animal dander, dust mites, pollen
and air pollution.
Project Examines Lifetime Air Pollution Exposure
Mortimer's project, partially funded by the American Lung Association
of California, is analyzing the residential history of the FACES
children and pollution levels recorded in those areas to determine
the children's lifetime exposure to air pollution. She will be
able to compare that with lung function data collected on the
children during the course of the five-year study.
Her project is also looking at the mothers' exposure to air pollution
during their pregnancies by examining where they worked and lived
at the time. In an earlier study on inner-city children with asthma,
Mortimer found that air pollution has a greater impact on children
with asthma who were born prematurely or with low birth weight.
"Some studies suggest that exposure to air pollution during
pregnancy causes low birth weights and premature births,"
Mortimer says. "The public health and public policy implications
are quite different if air pollution is actually causing lifelong
health problems beginning at birth."
More Asthma Research Needed
Scientists and researchers still don't know what causes asthma.
They know what causes asthma symptoms - called asthma episodes
or attacks when they are sudden and severe - but not what causes
the underlying disease.
"More research is needed to identify the components of air
pollution that are problematic, but it is incredibly expensive,"
Mortimer says.
Californians can help fund more asthma research in California
by donating to the Asthma and Lung Disease Research Fund on their
2003 state income tax forms. The money goes directly to the American
Lung Association of California's research program.
Mortimer's study is one of 21 research projects funded through
the American Lung Association of California's research program
this year. More than $725,000 was awarded through the program.
For more information about other research projects, visit www.californialung.org.
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