Decline of Ambient Air Pollution Levels and Improved Respiratory Health in Swiss Children

dc.accessRightsAnonymous*
dc.contributor.authorBayer-Oglesby, Lucy
dc.contributor.authorGrize, Leticia
dc.contributor.authorGassner, Markus
dc.contributor.authorTakken-Sahli, Kathy
dc.contributor.authorSennhauser, Felix H.
dc.contributor.authorNeu, Urs
dc.contributor.authorSchindler, Christian
dc.contributor.authorBraun-Fahrländer, Charlotte
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-24T12:34:07Z
dc.date.available2022-05-24T12:34:07Z
dc.date.issued2005-11
dc.description.abstractThe causality of observed associations between air pollution and respiratory health in children is still subject to debate. If reduced air pollution exposure resulted in improved respiratory health of children, this would argue in favor of a causal relation. We investigated whether a rather moderate decline of air pollution levels in the 1990s in Switzerland was associated with a reduction in respiratory symptoms and diseases in school children. In nine Swiss communities, 9,591 children participated in cross-sectional health assessments between 1992 and 2001. Their parents completed identical questionnaires on health status and covariates. We assigned to each child an estimate of regional particles with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 μg/m3 (PM10) and determined change in PM10 since the first survey. Adjusted for socioeconomic, health-related, and indoor factors, declining PM10 was associated in logistic regression models with declining prevalence of chronic cough [odds ratio (OR) per 10-μg/m3 decline = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54–0.79], bronchitis (OR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55–0.80), common cold (OR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68–0.89), nocturnal dry cough (OR = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.60–0.83), and conjunctivitis symptoms (OR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70–0.95). Changes in prevalence of sneezing during pollen season, asthma, and hay fever were not associated with the PM10 reduction. Our findings show that the reduction of air pollution exposures contributes to improved respiratory health in children. No threshold of adverse effects of PM10 was apparent because we observed the beneficial effects for relatively small changes of rather moderate air pollution levels. Current air pollution levels in Switzerland still exceed limit values of the Swiss Clean Air Act; thus, children’s health can be improved further.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1289/ehp.8159
dc.identifier.issn0091-6765
dc.identifier.issn1552-9924
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8159
dc.identifier.urihttps://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/33494
dc.issue11en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciencesen_US
dc.relation.ispartofEnvironmental Health Perspectivesen_US
dc.subjectair pollutionen_US
dc.subjectchildrenen_US
dc.subjectcross-sectional surveysen_US
dc.subjectdeclineen_US
dc.subjectrespiratory healthen_US
dc.subjectsymptomsen_US
dc.subject.ddc334 - Natürliche Ressourcen, Energie und Umwelten_US
dc.titleDecline of Ambient Air Pollution Levels and Improved Respiratory Health in Swiss Childrenen_US
dc.type01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
dc.volume113en_US
dspace.entity.typePublication
fhnw.InventedHereNoen_US
fhnw.IsStudentsWorknoen_US
fhnw.ReviewTypeAnonymous ex ante peer review of a complete publicationen_US
fhnw.affiliation.hochschuleHochschule für Soziale Arbeitde_CH
fhnw.affiliation.institutInstitut Soziale Arbeit und Gesundheitde_CH
fhnw.pagination1632-1637en_US
fhnw.publicationStatePublisheden_US
relation.isAuthorOfPublication017c0337-409d-4019-9982-c988f4fdea67
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery017c0337-409d-4019-9982-c988f4fdea67
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