Schwartz Joel
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, and Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Pediatrics. 2004 Apr;113(4 Suppl):1037-43.
Children's exposure to air pollution is a special concern because their immune system and lungs are not fully developed when exposure begins, raising the possibility of different responses than seen in adults. In addition, children spend more time outside, where the concentrations of pollution from traffic, powerplants, and other combustion sources are generally higher. Although air pollution has long been thought to exacerbate minor acute illnesses, recent studies have suggested that air pollution, particularly traffic-related pollution, is associated with infant mortality and the development of asthma and atopy. Other studies have associated particulate air pollution with acute bronchitis in children and demonstrated that rates of bronchitis and chronic cough declined in areas where particle concentrations have fallen. More mixed results have been reported for lung function. Overall, evidence for effects of air pollution on children have been growing, and effects are seen at concentrations that are common today. Although many of these associations seem likely to be causal, others require and warrant additional investigation.
儿童接触空气污染是一个特别令人担忧的问题，因为在开始接触时他们的免疫系统和肺部尚未完全发育，这增加了出现与成年人不同反应的可能性。此外，儿童在户外的时间更多，而交通、发电厂和其他燃烧源产生的污染物浓度在户外通常更高。长期以来，人们一直认为空气污染会加重轻微急性疾病，然而最近的研究表明，空气污染，尤其是与交通相关的污染，与婴儿死亡率以及哮喘和特应性疾病的发生有关。其他研究将空气中的颗粒物污染与儿童急性支气管炎联系起来，并表明在颗粒物浓度下降的地区，支气管炎和慢性咳嗽的发病率有所下降。关于肺功能的研究结果则更为复杂。总体而言，空气污染对儿童影响的证据越来越多，而且在如今常见的浓度水平下就能观察到这些影响。尽管其中许多关联似乎可能存在因果关系，但其他一些关联需要并值得进一步调查。
