2014 Oct 5 - "AIR POLLUTION RESTRICTS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S LUNGS" Media Briefing
"AIR POLLUTION RESTRICTS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S LUNGS" Media Briefing
Co-hosted by: Hong Kong Institute of Allergy, Hong Kong Thoracic Society, Allergy HK and Hong Kong Society of Paediatric Respirology
Air Pollution is one of the most severe environmental challenges for China and Hong Kong. Two years ago it was revealed that Hong Kong’s number of air pollution-related deaths is the 8th worst out of 193 countries in the world with 3,000 people in Hong Kong dying from air pollution in 2008, making the city’s air pollution mortality rate 43 per 100,0000 people.
Professor Frank Kelly (Professor of Environmental Health at King’s College London and speaker at the HK Allergy Convention) reported at a media briefing that recent research in east London schoolchildren indicates that the urban pollution they are breathing in daily is restricting the growth and development of their lungs. A preliminary analysis of the first 3 years of this 6 year study indicates that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particular matter (PM) results in lower lung growth in children. Kelly adds, “If this deficit is not caught up before the children are 18 years old they will carry this abnormality forward and over time it will likely contribute to the development of chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”
The research involved conducting health assessments in over two thousand (2232) 8-9 year olds in selected schools in Tower Hamlets and Hackney in London, which are surrounded by a network of roads which are highly congested by traffic. The European annual limit value for NO2 is 40 micrograms and in the research population more than 90% of the children were exposed to higher concentrations.
Children are thought to be more vulnerable to ambient air pollution as they spend more time outdoors, are more physically active, and have higher ventilation rates than adults. Dr Tak Hong Lee, President elect of the HK Institute of Allergy (HKIA), commented “ Though acute health effects on children’s respiratory morbidities from short term exposure to air pollution is well recognised, the long term effects are, as yet, less well studied but may be of more serious consequence.”
Many ‘megacities’, like Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, have severe air pollution problems. Increasingly, it is realised that breathing impure air is responsible for health problems ranging from growth restriction in the very young to chronic disease in the elderly. Kelly noted, “As our skin and lungs come into direct contact with air it is these organs that bear the brunt of the problem, resulting in for example asthma and eczema.”
Of great concern is the children in Hong Kong many of whom grow up with asthma and other allergic diseases. Links have been reported between pollutant levels and higher risk for coughing at night, phlegm without colds, asthma and wheezing symptoms.
Solving the urban air pollution problem is a huge challenge. It is highly unlikely that the world’s major cities will ever be able to boast ‘clean air’ especially if urban strategies focus on small areas of an overall road network. Kelly explained, “London’s Low Emission Zone is not nearly ambitious enough to provide the air quality benefits required.” He added, “Bold, realistic and moral leadership by national leaders is required to address this increasing important public health issue.” Dr Marco Ho, Chairman of Allergy HK emphasized, “It is essential to develop effective strategies to reduce pollution and to monitor whether they result in a significant improvement not only in air quality but also in the prevalence of pollution related diseases in HK and the mainland.”
NOTES
Pollution in HK and China
Smog hangs heavily over Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Of particular concern is PM2.5 air pollution. In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, and Hong Kong PM2.5 concentrations exceed WHO air quality guidelines. This means higher risks of heart disease, strokes and an increase in the probability of cancer and premature death. In 2012 the Global Burden of Disease study identified PM2.5 as the country’s 4th biggest threat to health. The death rate from lung cancer has increased sharply since 1970 and is now the leading cause of death from malignant tumours in the country while air pollution is thought to be responsible for 500,000 premature deaths annually.
Low Emission Zone in London
The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) is a traffic pollution charge scheme with the aim of reducing the exhaust emissions of diesel-powered vehicles in London. Only vehicles that do not conform to higher emission standards are charged, the others may enter the controlled zone free of charge. The LEZ came into operation on 4 February 2008 with a phased introduction of further provisions as increasingly tough emissions standards apply. The zone covers most of Greater London. The LEZ emissions standards are based on European emission standards relating to particulate matter (PM), which are emitted by vehicles, which have an effect on health.
