Chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution and lung function in adults

Lindsay J L Forbes ^1*, Venedictos Kapetanakis ¹, Alicja R Rudnicka ¹, Derek G Cook ¹, Tony Bush ², John Stedman ², Peter Whincup ¹, David P Strachan ¹ and H Ross Anderson ¹

¹ St George's, University of London, United Kingdom
² AEA Technology, United Kingdom

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lindsay.forbes{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk.

Accepted 24 February 2009

Abstract

Background: The extent to which chronic exposure to outdoor air pollutants influences lung function in adults is unclear. We aimed to measure the association between chronic exposure to outdoor air pollutants and adult lung function.

Methods: We examined the relationship between measures of lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced expiratory volume in 1 second as a percentage of forced vital capacity) and average exposure to particulate matter less than 10µm in diameter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone in four representative cross-sectional studies of the English population aged 16 and over in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2001. We pooled year-specific estimates using fixed effects meta-analysis.

Results: Greater exposure to particulate matter less than 10µm in diameter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide was associated with lower adult forced expiratory volume in 1 second. The size of the effect on population mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second was about 3% for particulate matter less than 10µm, and 0.7% for nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, for a 10µg m-3 increase in pollutant concentration. The effects were most marked in men, older adults, and in ex-smokers. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second was not associated with ozone concentrations. We found no associations between the pollutants and forced expiratory volume in 1 second as a percentage of forced vital capacity.

Conclusions: Chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution is associated with modestly reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second in adults.