International Journal of Epidemiology 2003;32:854-861
© International Epidemiological Association 2003
Respiratory |
Acute effect of sulphur dioxide from a power plant on pulmonary function of children, Thailand
1 Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
2 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, CB-7435 UNC-CH, Chapel Hill NC 27599–7435 USA.
3 College of Public Health, Chulalongkorn University, Floor 10th, Building 3, Soi Chula 62, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
4 Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Rama 4 Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Wichai Aekplakorn, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. E-mail address: rawap{at}mahidol.ac.th
Background Epidemiological studies have shown reversible declines of lung function in response to air pollution, but research on the independent effect of short-term exposure to ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2) on pulmonary function is limited. This study evaluated the association of short-term exposure to increased ambient SO2 and daily pulmonary function changes among children with and without asthma.
Methods The associations of daily exposure to SO2 and particulate matter 10 µm in diameter (PM10) with pulmonary function were examined in 175 asthmatic and non-asthmatic children aged 6–14 years who resided near a coal-fired power plant in Thailand. Each child performed daily pulmonary function tests during the 61-day study period. General linear mixed models were used to estimate the association of air pollution and pulmonary function controlling for time, temperature, co-pollutants, and autocorrelation.
Results In the asthmatic children, a daily increase in SO2 was associated with negligible declines in pulmonary function, but a small negative association was found between PM10 and pulmonary function. A 10-µg/m3 increment was associated with changes in the highest forced vital capacity (FVC) (–6.3 ml, 95% CI: –9.8, –2.8), forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) (-6.0 ml, 95% CI: -9.2, 2.7), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (-18.9 ml.sec-1, 95% CI: -28.5, -9.3) and forced expiratory flow 25 to 75% of the FVC (FEF25-75%) (-3.7 ml.sec-1, 95% CI: -10.9, 3.5). No consistent associations between air pollution and pulmonary function were found for non-asthmatic children.
Conclusion Declines in pulmonary function among asthmatic children were associated with increases in particulate air pollution, rather than with increases in SO2.
Keywords SO2, particulate air pollution, pulmonary function, epidemiology, Thailand
Accepted 14 May 2003
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  U. Langkulsen, W. Jinsart, K. Karita, and E. Yano Respiratory symptoms and lung function in Bangkok school children Eur J Public Health, December 1, 2006; 16(6): 676 - 681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|