Air pollution exposure and respiratory symptoms between 12 and 24 months

Abstract

PDS 75: Microbiome, infections and respiratory effects, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 27, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background/Aim: The association between exposure to air pollution in the first years of life and childhood health needs to be further investigated. We aimed to evaluate the effects of early postnatal exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 on different respiratory outcomes occurring between 12 and 24 months of age. Methods: The data come from the Piccolipiù birth cohort that enrolled mother-infant pairs at delivery in Turin, Trieste, Viareggio, Florence and Rome from 2011 to 2015. Childhood respiratory outcomes, including upper, lower respiratory infections and wheezing or asthma, were assessed through a questionnaire completed at 24 months. Monthly estimates of PM10 and PM2.5 were attributed at the residential address of each subject by use of a machine learning spatiotemporal model combining PM measurements, satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data, land-use and meteorology. We defined trimester windows of postnatal exposure, up to one year of age, and applied multivariate logistic regression and unconstrained distributed lag models to identify sensitive windows of exposure in relation to the outcomes of interest. Results: Exposure and outcome data are available for 2.136 (78%) of the 2.751 subjects who completed the 24-month questionnaire. The mean value for PM10 and PM2.5 over the entire study period was 27µg/m3 and 18µg/m3 respectively. For a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10 and PM2.5 between the 6th and the 9th month of life we found a slightly increase of lower respiratory infections (OR = 1.14; 95%CI: 0.84–1.53 and OR=1.26; 95%CI: 0.92–1.73 respectively). We did not observe any association between the two pollutants and the other outcomes analyzed. Conclusions: Our findings did not show a clear association between PM10, PM2.5 exposure and respiratory outcomes in children at 2 years of age. This topic should be further investigated given the important public health implications in promoting children’s health.