[ad_1]
In the United States, asthma was ongoing in more than 6 million children in 2016. Globally, asthma kills about 1,000 people a day – and its prevalence increases.
This condition has a high economic cost.
In the United States, each year more than 80 billion dollars are lost due to asthma. This is mainly due to premature deaths, medical care payments as well as missed work and school days. The burden is heavier for families with children with asthma who spend an average of $ 1,700 more on health care than on families with healthy children.
One of the main environmental factors that can contribute to the development of asthma is air pollution through the circulation.
In our study, published on April 3, our team mapped the places where, in the United States, children are most at risk of developing asthma caused by this type of pollution.
Trafficking and asthma
Asthma is probably the most common chronic disease in children, according to the World Health Organization.
Asthma comes in the form of episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath due to reversible or partially reversible airflow obstruction. Worldwide, six out of 10 children with asthma had a persistent form of asthma, meaning that they were taking long-term medications or that their condition could not be controlled even with medications.
Very few studies explore geographical and spatial variations. This Texas A & M University study quantified the link between road pollution exposure and the onset of asthma in children in 48 US states and the federal district. of Columbia.
Traffic pollution contains a mixture of harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulates, benzene and sulfur. These pollutants are known to affect health in many ways, causing many cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases.
A 2013 study suggested that long-term exposure to current air pollutants related to traffic was related to the development of asthma in children and adults.
A much broader meta-analysis in 2017, focusing on children and including recent published studies, revealed consistent links between this type of pollution and the development of asthma in children. The researchers concluded that there was now enough evidence showing a relationship between this type of pollution and the onset of asthma in the child.
Studies from the non-profit research group Health Effects Institute and the US Environmental Protection Agency have reached this conclusion.
Mapping the problem
Despite this new evidence, the burden of asthma in children due to traffic-related air pollution is poorly documented. Very few studies explore geographical and spatial variations.
My research team wanted to quantify the link between exposure to traffic pollution and the onset of asthma in children in 48 US states and the District of Columbia. We also wanted to make this data open to the public.
In our analysis, we looked at 70 million children and performed all calculations at the census block level, the smallest geographic unit available for census data. We collaborated with researchers at the University of Washington, who modeled nitrogen dioxide concentrations, a strong sign of traffic-related air pollution, using combined satellite imagery. environmental monitoring data on the ground.
We then took data from surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimating the incidence of asthma among children in the United States. In addition to the data from our air pollution models, we used these data to estimate the number of asthma cases in children caused by exposure to road pollution.
Despite the encouraging decrease in air pollution and the resulting health problems, there have been 141,900 cases of childhood asthma due to traffic-related air pollution in the United States. That's 18% of all cases of asthma in children
We then created an interactive, county-by-county interactive thermal map, as well as a city-by-city chart detailing the distribution of infantile asthma due to nitrogen dioxide in the United States. in 2000 and 2010. Each county is represented. , and users can explore the data to see the results for a particular county.
Pollution-related asthma decline is a victory for public health
Our analysis revealed that children's asthma cases attributable to traffic pollution in the United States decreased by an average of 33% between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, we estimated that 209,100 asthma cases were children could be attributed to traffic pollution, so case in 2010. This is a major victory for public health.
What is the cause of the decrease in traffic-related asthma? There may be several causes, including more fuel-efficient vehicles, stricter regulation of nitrogen oxide emissions and possibly a reduction in the total number of kilometers driven due to of the recession.
Despite this encouraging decrease in air pollution and resulting health problems, there have been 141,900 cases of childhood asthma due to traffic-related air pollution in the United States. That's 18% of all cases of asthma in children.
In addition, we found that children living in urban areas had twice as many cases of asthma attributable to nitrogen dioxide exposure as children living in rural areas.
Our estimates highlight the urgent need to reduce children's exposure to air pollution. We hope that our analyzes and heat maps will further inform decision makers, transportation agencies, medical associations and anyone else interested in learning more about the burden of childhood asthma due to air pollution. .
[ad_2]
Source link