Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Respiratory Health During the First 2 Years Using an Extended GIS-Based Exposure Model

Abstract

P-106 Abstract: Respiratory health effects due to exposure to modelled traffic-related air pollutants (PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance, and NO2) were recently studied for young children (n = 1756) of two Munich birth cohorts (GINI and LISA) living in the city of Munich (Gehring et al., 2002). The lately extended GIS-based exposure model to the Munich metropolitan area enabled us to investigate effects on respiratory health in a much bigger cohort (n = 3129). Forty measurement sites across the city area of Munich were selected to estimate the annual means of particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 2.5μm (PM2.5), PM2.5 absorbance, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). A pool of GIS variables (information about street length, household and population density, and land use) were collected for the Munich metropolitan area and were used in multiple linear regression models to predict traffic related air pollutant concentrations. These models were finally applied to the birth adresses of our study cohort. We obtained the following means for the estimated exposures to PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance and NO2: 12.8 μg m−3, 1.7 × 10−5 m−1, and 35.3 μg/m3 for the extended study cohort. Adjusted odds ratios for wheezing, cough without infection, dry cough at night, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and respiratory infections indicated positive associations with traffic-related air pollutants. After controlling for individual confounders, statistically significant associations between the pollutants PM2.5resp. PM2.5 absorbance and sneezing, runny/stuffed nose (odds ratio (95% confidence interval)): 1.29 (1.11; 1.51), 1.30 (1.03; 1.65) for the first year were found. We observed similar effects for the second year of life. Additionally, for the association between NO2 and dry cough at night resp. bronchitis we found signinificant effects for the first year of life. These findings are similar to those from our previous study. The extended study showed also increased infects for sneezing, running/stuffed nose. Effects on asthma and hay fever are subject to confirmation at older ages, when these outcomes can be more validly assessed.