Ambient exposure and nasal inflammation in adults and children--a preliminary analysis

The epidemiological evidence that ambient exposure, including particulate matter (PM) is related to adverse health outcomes continues to mount. Inflammation and disease of the upper respiratory tract are commonly suggested as effects of ambient exposure. Therefore we studied both ambient exposure and nasal effects in a 4-months cross-sectional survey in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Germany). At 4 locations in 3 different cities ambient exposure to TSP (total suspended particles), O3, NOx and SO2 was derived from compliance measurements by governmental offices, and 884 subjects (501 mothers and 383 children, 6-7 years old) were screened using nasal lavage, with success rates of 90 and 75%, respectively. No differences in total cell counts or percentage of neutrophils were found between mothers or children from the 4 different locations, despite small but significant differences in ambient exposure to TSP, SO2, O3, and NOx during this period. A higher epithelial cell count in mothers and children from one city might be related to general higher ambient pollution in that location. Interestingly, total cells and interleukin-8 levels in children were higher than in mothers and possibly reflect their increased susceptibility to effects of air pollution. Future analysis will concentrate on temporal relations between inflammation and exposure, including individual risk factors such as allergy, smoking and the presence of disease.