Long-Term Effects of Traffic Particles on Lung Function Decline in the Elderly

• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201402-0350oc
• Publication Date: 2014-07-16T20:06:58Z
• Authors: Johanna Lepeule; Augusto A. Litonjua; Brent Coull; Petros Koutrakis; David Sparrow; Pantel S. Vokonas; Joel Schwartz
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Male; Air Pollutants; Vital Capacity; Age Factors; Environmental Exposure; 3. Good health; Soot; 13. Climate action; Air Pollution; Forced Expiratory Volume; Linear Models; Humans; Particulate Matter; Longitudinal Studies; Lung; Aged; Boston; Vehicle Emissions

Few studies have been performed on air pollution effects lung function in the elderly, a vulnerable population with low reserve capacity, and even fewer looked at changes rate of decline.We evaluated effect long-term exposure to black carbon levels rates decline elderly.FVC FEV1 were measured one six times during period 1995-2011 858 men participating Normative Aging Study. Exposure carbon, tracer traffic emissions, was estimated by spatiotemporal land use regression model. We investigated moving averages 1-5 years before measurement using linear mixed models.A 0.5 μg/m(3) increase associated an additional FVC between 0.5% 0.9% per year, respectively, depending averaging time. In addition, baseline visit lower both FEV1, estimates increasing up 6-7% 5-year average exposure.Our results support adverse particles level elderly suggest that functionally significant differences health risk disability occur below annual Environmental Protection Agency National Air Quality Standards.