Journal Article

Weekly Personal Ozone Exposure and Respiratory Health in a Panel of Greek Schoolchildren

Dimakopoulou, Konstantina, Papakosta, Despina, Tasi, Sofia, Katsouyanni, Klea, Rodopoulou, Sophia, Angelis, Nikolaos, Spyratos, Dionisios, Tsiotsios, Anastasios, Karakatsani, Anna, Grivas, Georgios, Thirios, Athanasios, Samoli, Evangelia

2017

Overview

The association of ozone exposure with respiratory outcomes has been investigated in epidemiologic studies mainly including asthmatic children. The findings reported had methodological gaps and inconsistencies. We aimed to investigate effects of personal ozone exposure on various respiratory outcomes in school-age children generally representative of the population during their normal activities. We conducted a panel study in a representative sample of school-age children in the two major cities of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki. We followed 188, 10- to 11-y-old, elementary school students for 5 wk spread throughout the 2013–2014 academic year, during which ozone was measured using personal samplers. At the end of each study week, spirometry was performed by trained physicians, and the fractional concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled air ( ) was measured. Students kept a daily time–activity–symptom diary and measured PEF (peak expiratory flow) using peak flow meters. Mixed models accounting for repeated measurements were applied. An increase of 10 μg/m in weekly ozone concentration was associated with a decrease in FVC (forced vital capacity) and FEV (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) of 0.03 L [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.05, −0.01] and 0.01 L (95% CI: −0.03, 0.003) respectively. The same increase in exposure was associated with a 11.10% (95% CI: 4.23, 18.43) increase in and 19% (95% CI: −0.53, 42.75) increase in days with any symptom. The effect estimates were robust to PM adjustment. No inverse association was found between ozone exposure and PEF. The study provides evidence that airway inflammation and the frequency of respiratory symptoms increase, whereas lung function decreases with increased ozone exposure in schoolchildren. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP635.

• Publisher: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,Environmental Health Perspectives
• Subject: Air Pollutants - toxicity / Air pollution / Asthma / Child / Children / Cities / Confidence intervals / Correlation analysis / Elementary schools / Emission measurements / Environmental aspects / Environmental Exposure / Environmental Monitoring / Environmentally induced diseases / Epidemiology / Exposure / Female / Flowmeters / Greece - epidemiology / Health aspects / Humans / Inflammation - chemically induced / Inflammation - epidemiology / Longitudinal studies / Lungs / Male / Measuring instruments / Nitric oxide / Outdoor air quality / Ozone / Ozone - toxicity / Particulate matter / Pediatric respiratory diseases / Pediatrics / Physicians / Pollutants / Population / Questionnaires / Respiratory function / Respiratory Function Tests / Respiratory tract / Respiratory tract diseases / Respiratory Tract Diseases - chemically induced / Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology / Risk factors / Samplers / Seasons / Spirometry / Students / Studies / Workweeks