Traffic-related air pollution exposure over a 5-year period is associated with increased risk of asthma and poor lung function in middle age.

Current evidence concerning the impact of exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on adult respiratory morbidity mainly comes from cross-sectional studies. We sought to establish more robust measures of this association and potential gene-environment interactions using longitudinal data from an established cohort study.Associations between measures of TRAP (nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ) and distance to major roads) and wheeze, asthma prevalence and lung function were investigated in participants of the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study at 45- and 50-year follow-ups. Generalised estimating equations were used to quantify associations and the potential modifying effect of glutathione S -transferase gene variants.Living <200 m from a major road was associated with increased prevalence of current asthma and wheeze, and lower lung function. The association between living <200 m from a major road and current asthma and wheeze was more marked for carriers of the GSTT1 null and GSTP1 val / val or ile / val genotypes. Over the 5-year period, higher NO ₂ exposures were associated with increased current asthma prevalence. Higher NO ₂ exposure was associated with lower forced vital capacity for carriers of the GSTT1 null genotype.TRAP exposures were associated with increased risk of asthma, wheeze and lower lung function in middle-aged adults. The interaction with the GSTT1 genotype suggests that deficient antioxidant mechanisms may play a role in these adverse health effects.
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