Effect of exposures to ambient ozone on ventilatory lung function in children

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm/141.5_Pt_1.1136· OSTI ID:6730243

Higgins, I T; D'Arcy, J B; Gibbons, D I; Avol, E L; Gross, K B ^[1]

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1. American Health Foundation, New York, NY (USA)

This study was undertaken to determine if the ventilatory capacity of children is affected by hourly concentrations of ozone inhaled during their daily activity. Over a 3-wk period children who were attending a summer camp in the San Bernardino mountains of California performed spirometry up to three times per day during their stay at the camp. Ozone, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity were measured continuously. Daily average measurements of total suspended particulate and the PM10 particulate fraction were also made. Hourly ozone concentrations at the time of testing varied between 20 and 245 ppb. Regressions of each individual's FEV1 and FVC supported the view that high ozone levels reduced these lung function parameters. The average regression coefficient for FEV1 on ozone was -0.39 ml/ppb (SEM = 0.12) and for FVC -0.44 ml/ppb (SEM = 0.15), both of which were significantly different from zero. Statistical allowance for temperature and humidity increased the magnitude of these slopes. Nitrogen dioxide never exceeded 40 ppb during the time of testing and averaged 13 ppb. Sulfur dioxide's highest measurement was 8 ppb and often was at the limit of detection. Neither NO2 nor SO2 was considered in the statistical modeling. Data were divided based on whether each subject had been exposed to levels of ozone in excess of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) during the several hours previous to being tested. Exposures exceeding the NAAQS indicated a significant negative relationship between ozone and FEV1, FVC, and PEFR. Data for nonexceedance periods did not indicate this negative relationship for any of the three lung function parameters, but it could not be determined if this was due to an absence of an ozone effect or to a combination of the increased variability and decreased size of this data subset.

• OSTI ID: 6730243
• Journal Information: American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA), Vol. 141; ISSN 0003-0805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CALIFORNIA
AIR POLLUTION
LUNGS
SENSITIVITY
NITROGEN OXIDES
HEALTH HAZARDS
OZONE
PARTICULATES
SULFUR DIOXIDE
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
CHILDREN
DYNAMIC FUNCTION STUDIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HUMIDITY
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
AGE GROUPS
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
FEDERAL REGION IX
HAZARDS
MATHEMATICS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
STATISTICS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
USA
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology