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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and wheeze in a cohort of children with asthma in Fresno, CA

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 22, pages 386–392 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found widely in the ambient air and result from combustion of various fuels and industrial processes. PAHs have been associated with adverse human health effects such as cognitive development, childhood IQ, and respiratory health. The Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment Study enrolled 315 children aged 6–11 years with asthma in Fresno, CA and followed the cohort from 2000 to 2008. Subjects were evaluated for asthma symptoms in up to three 14-day panels per year. Detailed ambient pollutant concentrations were collected from a central site and outdoor pollutants were measured at 83 homes for at least one 5-day period. Measurements of particle-bound PAHs were used with land-use regression models to estimate individual exposures to PAHs with 4-, 5-, or 6-member rings (PAH456) and phenanthrene for the cohort (approximately 22,000 individual daily estimates). We used a cross-validation-based algorithm for model fitting and a generalized estimated equation approach to account for repeated measures. Multiple lags and moving averages of PAH exposure were associated with increased wheeze for each of the three types of PAH exposure estimates. The odds ratios for asthmatics exposed to PAHs (ng/m3) ranged from 1.01 (95% CI, 1.00–1.02) to 1.10 (95% CI, 1.04–1.17). This trend for increased wheeze persisted among all PAHs measured. Phenanthrene was found to have a higher relative impact on wheeze. These data provide further evidence that PAHs contribute to asthma morbidity.

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Abbreviations

AIC:

Akaike information criterion

ARIMA:

Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average

DSA:

Deletion, Substitution, Addition algorithm

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

FACES:

Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment Study

FEF25–75:

forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity

FEV1:

forced expiratory volume in 1 min

GEE:

generalized estimating equation

IgE:

immunoglobulin E

LUR:

land-use regression

PAH:

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

PAH456:

sum of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 4-,5-, or 6-member rings

PM10−2.5:

particulate matter with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 μm

PM2.5:

particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 μm.

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Acknowledgements

Boriana Pratt for data management and programming and the FACES team of investigators and field staff. We thank Fred Lurmann and colleagues at Sonoma Technology for the exposure assessment. This work was supported by California Air Resources Board Contract Nos. 99-322, 99-323, and -01-346, Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Grant No. R01 HL081521, Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Program, and RFA 2005-01 US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality (P.O. No. 2A-0540-NASX).

Disclaimer

We declare no competing financial interests for this work. The statements and conclusions in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the California Air Resources Board. The mention of commercial products, their source, or their use in connection with material reported herein is not to be construed as actual or implied endorsement of such products. The research described in this article was funded by the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC), an organization jointly funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and private industry sponsors. The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the views of NUATRC, or its sponsors, nor do they necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA or any of the private industry sponsors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Sara L Gale & Ira B Tager

  2. Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Elizabeth M Noth, Jennifer Mann, John Balmes & S Katharine Hammond

  3. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    John Balmes

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  1. Sara L Gale
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Correspondence to Sara L Gale.

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Gale, S., Noth, E., Mann, J. et al. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and wheeze in a cohort of children with asthma in Fresno, CA. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 22, 386–392 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2012.29

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