Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Oct;126(4):1071-8.
doi: 10.1378/chest.126.4.1071.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, environmental tobacco smoke, and respiratory symptoms in an inner-city birth cohort

Rachel L Miller  1 , Robin Garfinkel, Megan Horton, David Camann, Frederica P Perera, Robin M Whyatt, Patrick L Kinney
Affiliations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, environmental tobacco smoke, and respiratory symptoms in an inner-city birth cohort

Rachel L Miller et al. Chest. 2004 Oct.

Abstract

Study objectives: Several studies have found associations between diesel exposure, respiratory symptoms, and/or impaired pulmonary function. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), important components of diesel exhaust and other combustion sources, may be associated with respiratory symptoms in young children. We also hypothesized that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) may worsen symptoms beyond that observed to be associated with PAH alone.

Design/participants: To test our hypotheses, we recruited 303 pregnant women from northern Manhattan believed to be at high risk for exposure to both PAH and ETS, collected 48-h personal PAH exposure measurements, and monitored their children prospectively.

Results: By 12 months of age, more cough and wheeze were reported in children exposed to prenatal PAH in concert with ETS postnatally (PAH x ETS interaction odds ratios [ORs], 1.41 [p < 0.01] and 1.29 [p < 0.05], respectively). By 24 months, difficulty breathing and probable asthma were reported more frequently among children exposed to prenatal PAH and ETS postnatally (PAH x ETS ORs, 1.54 and 1.64, respectively [p < 0.05]).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that early exposure to airborne PAH and ETS can lead to increased respiratory symptoms and probable asthma by age 12 to 24 months. Interventions to lower the risk of respiratory disease in young children living in the inner city may need to address the importance of multiple environmental exposures.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of respiratory symptoms at age 6 to 24 months. Respiratory symptoms were determined by questionnaire administered to the mother every 3 months about symptoms in the last 3 months.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interaction between PAH and postnatal ETS exposure on cough at 12 months. Data were analyzed using STATA graph software, (StataCorp).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Interaction between PAH and postnatal ETS exposure on probable asthma at 24 months. Data were analyzed using STATA graph software (StataCorp).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dockery DW, Speizer FE, Stram DO, et al. Effects of inhalable particles on respiratory health of children. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989;139:587–594. - PubMed
    1. Rudell B, Ledin MC, Hammarstron U, et al. Effects on symptoms and lung functions in humans experimentally exposed to diesel exhaust. Occup Environ Med. 1996;53:658–662. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gehring U, Cyrys J, Sedlimeir G, et al. Traffic-related air pollution and respiratory health during the first 2 years of life. Eur Respir J. 2002;19:690–698. - PubMed
    1. Wyler C, Braun-Fahrlander C, Kunzli N, et al. Exposure to motor vehicle traffic and allergic sensitization. Epidemiology. 2000;11:450–456. - PubMed
    1. Northridge ME, Yankura J, Kinney PL, et al. Diesel exhaust exposure among adolescents in Harlem: a community-driven study. Am J Public Health. 1999;89:998–1002. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances