14% of the European kids who develop asthma do so because of road traffic pollution

Mar 22, 2013 10:21 GMT  ·  By
14% of the asthma cases reported in Europe are caused by road traffic pollution
   14% of the asthma cases reported in Europe are caused by road traffic pollution

Today's issue of the European Respiratory Journal witnessed the publication of a new study stating that the air pollution caused by intense road traffic is no different from passive smoke as far as one's risk of developing asthma is concerned.

More precisely, the study claims that, as investigations have shown, 14% of the European children who develop said medical condition at one point in their lives do so as a result of their living fairly close to busy roads.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization maintains that, as far as it can tell, an estimate 4-18% of all asthma cases reported in children are caused by their being exposed to passive smoke.

According to EurekAlert, researcher Dr. Laura Perez, who now works at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, commented with respect to this investigation as follows:

“Air pollution has previously been seen to trigger symptoms but this is the first time we have estimated the percentage of cases that might not have occurred if Europeans had not been exposed to road traffic pollution.”

“In light of all the existing epidemiological studies showing that road-traffic contributes to the onset of the disease in children, we must consider these results to improve policy making and urban planning,” Dr. Laura Perez went on to argue.

In order to reach these conclusions concerning the health impact of road traffic pollution on children, Dr. Laura Perez and her colleagues went through the trouble of analyzing data concerning road traffic pollution and public health in 10 European cities.

This has allowed them to better understand how the presence of various harmful chemical compounds found in the air that people breathe impacts on their health.

As well as this, they have been able to estimate how many cases of asthma could have been avoided had it not been for the children's living close to such busy roads.