Diesel Trucks, Oil-Heated Homes and Childhood Asthma

 Domestic airborne black carbon and exhaled nitric oxide in children in NYC (Abstract, Alexandra G Cornell, Steven N Chillrud, Robert B Mellins, Luis M Acosta, Rachel L Miller, James W Quinn, Beizhan Yan, Adnan Divjan, Omar E Olmedo, Sara Lopez-Pintado, Patrick L Kinney, Frederica P Perera, Judith S Jacobson, Inge F Goldstein, Andrew G Rundle, Matthew S Perzanowski, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, Feb. 29, 2012)

Also discussed here:
Air Pollution from Trucks and Low-Quality Heating Oil May Explain Childhood Asthma Hot Spots (Science News, Mar. 27, 2012)

Today’s review deals with the health of children in New York City who live near diesel truck traffic. Results show up to three times greater risk for asthma and the need for further reductions in emissions from buildings burning low grade heating oil and from diesel trucks whose routes take them near homes.

Key Quotes:

 “Neighborhood built-environment characteristics were assessed for the 500 m surrounding participants’ homes. Airborne BC concentrations in homes correlated with neighborhood asthma prevalence.. and neighborhood densities of truck routes ..and buildings burning residual oil”

“In New York City… asthma among school-age children ranges from a low of 3% to a high of 19% depending on the neighborhood, and even children growing up within walking distance of each other can have 2- to 3-fold differences in risk for asthma”

“levels of airborne black carbon, which mostly comes from incomplete combustion sources like diesel trucks and oil furnaces, were high in homes of children with asthma”

“Because of its history as a shipping and oil refining center, New York City burns more dirty oil for residential and commercial heating than any other city in the country,”

“Children in this study with higher black carbon in the air of their homes had higher exhaled nitric oxide, suggesting that they were at greater risk for asthma exacerbations”