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Domestic airborne black carbon and exhaled nitric oxide in children in NYC

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 22, pages 258–266 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Differential exposure to combustion by-products and allergens may partially explain the marked disparity in asthma prevalence (3–18%) among New York City neighborhoods. Subclinical changes in airway inflammation can be measured by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). FeNO could be used to test independent effects of these environmental exposures on airway inflammation. Seven- and eight-year-old children from neighborhoods with lower (range 3–9%, n=119) and higher (range 11–18%, n=121) asthma prevalence participated in an asthma case–control study. During home visits, FeNO was measured, and samples of bed dust (allergens) and air (black carbon; BC) were collected. Neighborhood built-environment characteristics were assessed for the 500 m surrounding participants’ homes. Airborne BC concentrations in homes correlated with neighborhood asthma prevalence (P<0.001) and neighborhood densities of truck routes (P<0.001) and buildings burning residual oil (P<0.001). FeNO concentrations were higher among asthmatics with than in those without frequent wheeze (≥4 times/year) (P=0.002). FeNO concentrations correlated with domestic BC among children without seroatopy (P=0.012) and with dust mite allergen among children with seroatopy (P=0.020). The association between airborne BC in homes and both neighborhood asthma prevalence and FeNO suggest that further public health interventions on truck emissions standards and residual oil use are warranted.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (grant no. R01 ES014400, P50 ES015905, P30 ES009089, P01ES09600, R01 ES008977) and the Environmental Protection Agency (R827027). This project would not have been possible without our collaborators at HIP Health Plan. Beatriz Jaramillo, Dr. PH, was instrumental in the design and initial implementation of the study and Michael Byrne, MA, has ensured the continued success of the recruitment for the study. We thank the NYC Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study field team for their hard work. We thank Stephanie Soucier for the artistic design of the recruitment material. We also thank the families who have participated in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA

    Alexandra G Cornell, Robert B Mellins & Rachel L Miller

  2. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA

    Steven N Chillrud

  3. Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Steven N Chillrud, Luis M Acosta, Rachel L Miller, Beizhan Yan, Adnan Divjan, Omar E Olmedo, Patrick L Kinney, Frederica P Perera, Inge F Goldstein, Andrew G Rundle & Matthew S Perzanowski

  4. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Rachel L Miller, Adnan Divjan, Patrick L Kinney, Frederica P Perera & Matthew S Perzanowski

  5. Division of Pulmonary, Department of Medicine, Allergy, Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA

    Rachel L Miller

  6. Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    James W Quinn

  7. Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Sara Lopez-Pintado

  8. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Judith S Jacobson, Inge F Goldstein & Andrew G Rundle

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Cornell, A., Chillrud, S., Mellins, R. et al. Domestic airborne black carbon and exhaled nitric oxide in children in NYC. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 22, 258–266 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2012.3

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