Long-term Improvement of Air Quality Associated with Lung Function Benefits in Chinese Young Adults: A Quasi-experiment Cohort Study

Background: Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with lung function impairment. However, whether long-term improvements in air quality could improve lung function is unclear.<br />Methods: We conducted a prospective quasi-experiment cohort study with 1731 college students in Shandong, China from September 2019 to September 2020, covering COVID-19 lockdown period. Data on PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and SO2 concentrations were obtained from China Environmental Monitoring Station. The concentration of O3 was obtained from Tracking Air Pollution in China. Lung function indicators included forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC (FEF50%). Linear mixed-effects model was used to examine the associations between the change of air pollutants’ concentrations and the change of lung functions. We also conducted stratified analysis by sex.<br />Results: Compared with 2019, the mean FVC, FEV1 and FEF50% were elevated by 414.4ml, 321.5ml, and 28.4ml respectively in 2020. Every 5μg/m3 decrease in annual average PM2.5 concentrations was associated with 36.0ml [95% confidence interval (CI):6.0, 66.0ml], 46.1ml (95% CI:16.7, 75.5ml), and 124.2ml/s (95% CI:69.5, 178.9ml/s) increment in the FVC, FEV1, and FEF50%, respectively. Similar associations were found for PM10. There was no significant effect difference between male and female.<br />Conclusions: Long-term improvement of air quality can improve lung function among young adults. Stricter policies on improving air quality are needed to protect human health.<br />Funding: Taishan Scholar Program

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Benefits of improved air quality on ageing lungs: impacts of genetics and obesity

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.01780-2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

pp. 1801780 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Anke Hüls ◽

Dorothee Sugiri ◽

Michael J. Abramson ◽

Barbara Hoffmann ◽

Holger Schwender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Lung Function ◽

Elderly Women ◽

The Elderly ◽

Forced Expiratory Volume ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Risk Alleles ◽

Related Risk ◽

Z Scores

IntroductionThe beneficial effect of improving air quality on lung function in the elderly remains unclear. We examined associations between decline in air pollutants and lung function, and effect modifications by genetics and body mass index (BMI), in elderly German women.MethodsData were analysed from the prospective SALIA (Study on the influence of Air pollution on Lung function, Inflammation and Aging) study (n=601). Spirometry was conducted at baseline (1985–1994; age 55 years), in 2007–2010 and in 2012–2013. Air pollution concentrations at home addresses were determined for each time-point using land-use regression models. Global Lung Initiative 2012 z-scores were calculated. Weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs) were determined from lung function-related risk alleles and used to investigate interactions with improved air quality. Multiple linear mixed models were fitted.ResultsAir pollution levels decreased substantially during the study period. Reduction of air pollution was associated with an increase in z-scores for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and the FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio. For a decrease of 10 µg·m−3 in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the z-score for FEV1 increased by 0.14 (95% CI 0.01–0.26). However, with an increasing number of lung function-related risk alleles, the benefit from improved air quality decreased (GRS×NO2 interaction: p=0.029). Interactions with BMI were not significant.ConclusionsReduction of air pollution is associated with a relative improvement of lung function in elderly women, but also depends on their genetic make-up.

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Long-term Air Pollution Exposure, Genome-wide DNA Methylation and Lung Function in the LifeLines Cohort Study

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp2045 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 126 (2) ◽

pp. 027004 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Ana Julia de F.C. Lichtenfels ◽

Diana A. van der Plaat ◽

Kim de Jong ◽

Cleo C. van Diemen ◽

Dirkje S. Postma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Lung Function ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Air Pollution Exposure ◽

Pollution Exposure

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Impact of Air Pollution on Lung Function among Preadolescent Children in Two Cities in Poland

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112375 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2375

Author(s):

Piotr Dąbrowiecki ◽

Łukasz Adamkiewicz ◽

Dominika Mucha ◽

Piotr Oskar Czechowski ◽

Mateusz Soliński ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Lung Function ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Forced Expiratory Volume ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Mean Values ◽

Baltic Coast ◽

Allergic Symptoms ◽

The Baltic

Ambient air pollution impairs lung development in children, particularly in industrialized areas. The air quality in Zabrze, a city located in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region of Poland, is among the worst in Europe. We compared lung function and the frequency of respiratory or allergic symptoms between children living in Zabrze and those living in Gdynia, a city on the Baltic coast, which has the best long-term air quality in Poland. We enrolled children aged 9–15 years from both cities who were able to perform a spirometry. The following spirometry variables were measured for all participants: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume during the first second of expiration (FEV1), FEV1/FVC index, and peak expiratory flow (PEF). The frequencies of respiratory or allergic symptoms were taken from a survey completed by the participants’ parents. In total, 258 children from Gdynia and 512 children from Zabrze were examined. The mean values of FVC, FEV1, and PEF were significantly greater among children in Gdynia than those reported in Zabrze (p ≤ 0.032), and the frequencies of seasonal rhinorrhea (p = 0.015) or coughing episodes (p = 0.022) were significantly higher in Zabrze than in Gdynia. In conclusion, lung function was significantly impaired in children living in Zabrze, an area which is associated with poor air quality. Strategies to improve air quality in the Silesia region are urgently needed.

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Adult lung function and long-term air pollution exposure. ESCAPE: a multicentre cohort study and meta-analysis

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/09031936.00130014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 38-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 166

Author(s):

Martin Adam ◽

Tamara Schikowski ◽

Anne Elie Carsin ◽

Yutong Cai ◽

Benedicte Jacquemin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Lung Function ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Coarse Fraction ◽

Forced Expiratory Volume ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Longitudinal Change ◽

Pollution Effects

The chronic impact of ambient air pollutants on lung function in adults is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution with lung function in adult participants from five cohorts in the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE).Residential exposure to nitrogen oxides (NO2, NOx) and particulate matter (PM) was modelled and traffic indicators were assessed in a standardised manner. The spirometric parameters forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) from 7613 subjects were considered as outcomes. Cohort-specific results were combined using meta-analysis.We did not observe an association of air pollution with longitudinal change in lung function, but we observed that a 10 μg·m−3 increase in NO2 exposure was associated with lower levels of FEV1 (−14.0 mL, 95% CI −25.8 to −2.1) and FVC (−14.9 mL, 95% CI −28.7 to −1.1). An increase of 10 μg·m−3 in PM10, but not other PM metrics (PM2.5, coarse fraction of PM, PM absorbance), was associated with a lower level of FEV1 (−44.6 mL, 95% CI −85.4 to −3.8) and FVC (−59.0 mL, 95% CI −112.3 to −5.6). The associations were particularly strong in obese persons.This study adds to the evidence for an adverse association of ambient air pollution with lung function in adults at very low levels in Europe.

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Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Lung Function in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp5220 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 127 (12) ◽

pp. 127008 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cui Guo ◽

Gerard Hoek ◽

Ly-yun Chang ◽

Yacong Bo ◽

Changqing Lin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Lung Function ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Longitudinal Cohort Study ◽

Longitudinal Cohort ◽

Fine Particulate

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Chronic effects of air pollution on lung function after lung transplantation in the Systems prediction of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (SysCLAD) study

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.00206-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 1600206 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Meriem Benmerad ◽

Rémy Slama ◽

Karine Botturi ◽

Johanna Claustre ◽

Antoine Roux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Lung Function ◽

Lung Transplantation ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Chronic Exposure ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Forced Expiratory Volume ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Lung Transplant Recipients

An irreversible loss in lung function limits the long-term success in lung transplantation. We evaluated the role of chronic exposure to ambient air pollution on lung function levels in lung transplant recipients (LTRs).The lung function of 520 LTRs from the Cohort in Lung Transplantation (COLT) study was measured every 6 months. The levels of air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with an aerodynamic cut-off diameter of x µm (PMx) and ozone (O3)) at the patients' home address were averaged in the 12 months before each spirometry test. The effects of air pollutants on forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in % predicted were estimated using mixed linear regressions. We assessed the effect modification of macrolide antibiotics in this relationship.Increased 12-month levels of pollutants were associated with lower levels of FVC % pred (−2.56%, 95% CI −3.86–−1.25 for 5 µg·m−3of PM10; −0.75%, 95% CI −1.38–−0.12 for 2 µg·m−3of PM2.5and −2.58%, 95% CI −4.63–−0.53 for 10 µg·m−3of NO2). In patients not taking macrolides, the deleterious association between PM and FVC tended to be stronger and PM10was associated with lower FEV1.Our study suggests a deleterious effect of chronic exposure to air pollutants on lung function levels in LTRs, which might be modified with macrolides.

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