Air pollution and its relationship to lung function among adolescents from Taubate, São Paulo, Brazil

This paper sought to evaluate individual exposure to air pollution by quantifying the carbon in alveolar macrophages (AMs) and its relationship to lung function. We also examined the proximity of participants' residences to the Presidente Dutra highway (PDH) in adolescents with asthma from Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.

This descriptive study examined fifty 13- to 14-year-old adolescents with asthma identified by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) in Taubaté. These adolescents underwent spirometry and sputum induction via the inhalation of 3% hypertonic saline (HSS). Sputum was collected after each nebulisation, and forced expiratory flow in one second (FEV₁) was measured. The collected sputum was stored and transported to the laboratory; it was then processed and analysed for ultrafine particles (≤100nm). This analysis was correlated with the residence location and FEV₁ of each adolescent.

A total of 39 adolescents completed the study. The comparison of the carbon fraction within macrophages (CA/MA) showed no differences according to residence in relation to the PDH (p=0.758). After adjustment, a mixed linear model with FEV₁ as the dependent variable and CA/MA, location, and evaluation condition as the predictors found that the interactions among the variables were not significant.

The amount of carbon present within the AMs of adolescents with asthma was not correlated with either lung function or residence location. Evaluations of the topography and local climatic conditions in Taubaté should be considered in future studies.