Abstract: Associations between traffic air pollutants and exhaled nitric oxide measurements for asthmatic children in El Paso, Texas, USA, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (2011 SACNAS National Conference)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Room A2/A7 (San Jose Convention Center)

Amit Raysoni, PhD , Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Jeremy Sarnat, ScD , Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Wen-Whai Li, Ph.D., P.E. , Civil Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Fernando Holguin, MD , Asthma Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Silvia Flores Luevano, MD , Health Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Jose Humberto Garcia, PhD , Civil Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Stefanie Ebelt Sarnat, ScD , Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Traffic air pollution is a major public health concern in any urban area. This problem is compounded in the El Paso- Ciudad Juarez international region that has experienced rapid economic growth, and a substantial number of people living in close vicinity of major roadways. A growing body of air quality and epidemiologic research has discerned the linkage between traffic emissions and respiratory disorders.

As part of a binational health effects study investigating the impact of traffic air pollution on asthmatic children, paired indoor and outdoor concentrations of fine and coarse PM (PM_2.5 and PM_10-2.5), black carbon, and NO₂ were determined for 16 weeks in 2008 at four elementary schools in the international community of El Paso - Ciudad Juárez on the U.S.-Mexico border. Fifty-eight asthmatic subjects from these four schools were recruited. Health outcomes (weekly exhaled nitric oxide [eNO] measurements and daily respiratory symptoms) were recorded for the study period. Two schools (one in each city) were located in high traffic density zones and the other two in zones of low traffic density.

Strong spatial heterogeneity in pollutant concentrations was observed with all outdoor pollutant concentrations higher in Ciudad Juarez than in El Paso by two-fold or more.

Significant associations between the weekly (96-hr) pollutant averages and eNO with effects estimates ranging from 1 to 3% increases in eNO per interquartile range increases in pollutant concentrations were observed. Effect estimates from models using indoor pollutant school concentrations were generally more robust than corresponding models using outdoor school or ambient concentrations.