London kids help with pollution and respiratory health study
18 February 2009
The impact of air pollution and vitamin D deficiency on the respiratory health of children living in cities is to be investigated with the help of schools in East London where more than 18 per cent of children have asthma.
The EXHALE (Exploration of Health and Lungs in the Environment) study aims to determine the impact of reduced traffic emissions on children’s health. It will use pollution and respiratory health data gathered both before and after the introduction of the current ‘Low Emission Zone’ in East London.
Professor Tak Lee, Head of the Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology at King’s College London, who is leading the study said:
“There is increasing evidence that vitamin D deficiency and pollution play a role in poor lung health, but little is currently known about their combined effects and the changes that take place in the lungs themselves. This project is hugely important for our local population. London has one of the worst traffic pollution problems in Europe and local children almost certainly have very high rates of vitamin D deficiency. I am confident that this study will lead to real advances in the understanding of asthma and the clinical care we can deliver to our patients.”
The EXHALE programme is a collaboration between researchers and clinicians working in the comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre, the Medical Research Council-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Watch the research team in action
(Vodcast clip 3 mins long, requires RealPlayer)
Children from Tower Hamlets who attend schools close to main roads will be studied to determine the effects on lung function of traffic emission reduction. Filming consent was obtained for everyone who appears in this video.
Professor Chris Griffiths from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, who is carrying out respiratory tests on the primary school children over a four-year period, said:
“We are focusing on children because damage done to their lungs by traffic pollution almost certainly persists, and makes lifelong lung problems - and possibly early death - more likely. By measuring childrens’ breathing and lung inflammation over several years and gathering genetic information, we will be able to establish links between respiratory health problems, pollution exposure and the role of genetic susceptibility.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, recently announced his intention to suspend the third phase of the Low Emission Zone, which was due to affect vans and minibuses from October 2010. This proposed change is subject to public consultation but highlights just how crucial it is to assess the effects of pollution on respiratory health in inner city areas like East London.
Researchers involved in the study will also investigate how air pollutants and vitamin D deficiency interact to exacerbate airway inflammation, and aim to identify new ways to investigate airway inflammation using imaging techniques.
The findings will help to inform government policies as well as to answer important questions about asthma. These include the role of genetic factors, and how pollutants build deposit in the lungs and cause damage to respiratory cells.
The EXHALE study is funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Institute for Health Research comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London.
Press contact: 020 7637 6011
press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
