May 29, 2003 – Air Pollution Worsens Asthma in Children? That is. But the chlorine in swimming pools and the violence? Absolutely, some researchers say.
The first study is the least surprising of the lot. German and Taiwanese researchers confirm that children living in areas with heavy traffic are up to twice as likely to suffer from respiratory disorders, such as asthma, than other children. The pollutants contained in the exhaust gases would be the main culprits.
The other two studies are more astonishing. The first, carried out by American researchers, discovered that the more a child is exposed to a climate of violence at home, the more he is prone to suffer from asthma. The results of this study, which have not been published, have been adjusted for other factors, such as exposure to second-hand smoke.
The second study claims that the high chlorine content of the air that floats above indoor swimming pools can have a devastating effect on children’s airways.
Belgian researchers have discovered that, in children, the incidence of asthma increases proportionally with the use of an indoor swimming pool. Their explanation? Chlorine in ambient air seriously damages the lungs, allowing various irritants – such as pollen or cigarette smoke – to more easily trigger an asthma attack. The lungs of children who use the pool the most are reportedly as badly damaged as those of an adult smoker.
Finally, although the symptoms of many children with asthma seem to go away in adolescence, a study conducted in New Zealand has established that more than a third of them will suffer from asthma again in adulthood.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
From drkoop.com, Reuters, WebMD and National Post; May 21, 27, 28 and 29, 2003.
