From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-363867-662404
MUNICH, Germany (UPI) -- Traffic-related pollution increased the risk
of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than 50 percent,
German researchers said.
"(Children) living very close to a major road are likely to be exposed
not only to a higher amount of traffic-derived particles and gases but
also to a more freshly emitted aerosols which may be more toxic," lead
author Joachim Heinrich of the German Research Center for Environment
and Health at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich said in a
statement.
The researchers examined nearly 2,900 children at age 4 and more than
3,000 at age 6 to determine their rates of doctor-diagnosed asthma or
allergy with relation to long-term exposure to traffic-related
pollution.
Their exposure to traffic pollutants was calculated as a function of
the distance of their homes from major roads at birth and at age 2, 3
and 6.
The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Care Medicine, also found a distant-dependent relationship
between proximity to the road and risk of allergic sensitization, with
those living closest to major roads having a nearly 50 percent greater
risk of allergic sensitization.