Air pollution appears to be damaging the lungs of Phoenix young people, according to a new study.
The study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted in Southern California and followed almost 2,000 adolescents from age 10 to age 18. Researchers studied several types of air pollution, including nitrogen oxide, acid vapor, elemental carbon and particulate matter. High levels of each of these pollutants were significantly correlated to low lung capacity among youth.
The most striking result in the study came from a particular form of pollution known as particulate matter, or PM 2.5. Approximately 8 out of every 100 young people in areas with high particulate matter levels had lung capacities that were below 80 percent of normal. This was compared to 2 out of every 100 adolescents living in low pollution areas.
Though the study will not look for long-term health effects for these youth, researchers believe that the study has important implications for health care. Though direct links have not been established, low lung capacity is associated with asthma and bronchitis in children, and emphysema in adults, said Dr. William Morgan, an area doctor specializing in pediatric medicine. Respiratory disorders such as asthma and emphysema are chronic and often require long-term expensive treatments.
Scientists have long associated air pollution with respiratory problems, but how air pollution damages lungs remains largely unknown. Though doctors are still unclear about exactly how this damage occurs, most agree that some connection between air pollution and lung damage exists, according to the study.
Particulate matter, the type of pollution that caused the greatest damage in the study, includes invisible dust and other microscopic particles caught in the air. Automobile exhaust, dust from building construction and industrial smokestacks create these microscopic particles. Though the effects of particulate matter on the lungs are difficult to study, researchers speculate that particulate matter irritates the part of the lungs called the alveoli.
According to officials at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Phoenix has been reprimanded for having high levels of particulate matter several times in recent years. According to the ADEQ Web site, the agency has taken several steps to reduce particulate matter concentrations, including fining businesses and enacting new regulations. The department has made progress in recent years, being praised by the most recent statewide audit of air pollution conducted by the Arizona Auditor General. The audit demonstrated substantial improvement in 15 of 20 high pollution areas designated by the EPA as outside of compliance with federal regulations.
While Arizona is making progress toward meeting current air quality regulations, the new findings raise tough questions about whether or not these clean air standards are tough enough. The study found significant damage to lung capacity in areas that had high pollution but were still within EPA guidelines.
Air pollution has been a topic of contention this year, with the introduction of new legislation by the Bush administration that would allow industries more flexibility in responding to air quality issues. Environmental groups and other opponents have condemned efforts to change the current clean air laws.
Industry representatives claim that stringent clean air policies hurt economic development, forcing businesses to pay for expensive technology and limiting growth. Advocates for cleaner air maintain that the lowered costs of health care make this shift worthwhile. The recently released study will no doubt affect policy-makers decision making, whether or not policies will actually be changed.
Elizabeth Corley, professor of environmental policy at ASU, said that the focus on youth and the large scope of the study make it the most convincing evidence available and particularly relevant to policy. Corley also said that the timing of the research may increase its importance to policy-makers, noting, “People tend to think of what hits them at home. This study may force the Bush administration to pay attention to environmental health, especially during an election year.”
In addition to regulating businesses, the Arizona departments of Environmental Quality and Health have each initiated a number of programs to reduce the effect of air pollution in the state of Arizona, said ADEQ representatives. The areas where pollution was reduced benefited from programs promoting the increased use of car-pooling and public transportation, said ADEQ representatives. Other programs include a program that monitors indoor air quality for elementary age students. Exhaust from buses and dust from air vents can sometimes cause serious health issues for students said Dianne Coltz, director of the Asthma Prevention division of the Arizona Department of Health Services. These programs aim at monitoring air quality in order to discover problems in ventilation systems and find solutions to these problems. Coltz says that Mesa Unified School Board has recently implemented this type of program throughout its district.
Another program, Tools for Schools, is being worked on by the Department of Health and the EPA. It will help parents of children with asthma to deal with high pollution days in the valley. High pollution is known to cause several problems. According to Coltz, who also serves as director of the Tools for Schools Program, “Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, and we have found that all children are less alert when pollution levels are high. Addressing issues of indoor air quality creates an environment much more conducive to learning.”
With programs like these, ADEQ officials are hopeful that each of these areas will pass the next EPA audit. States that consistently fail to develop sufficient programs to reduce air pollution can face fines and/or the denial of federal highway improvement funds. Several officials noted the difficulty in maintaining clean air during times of fast growth, such as the Phoenix metropolitan area is undergoing. This growth results in more cars, construction, businesses, water vapor and heat in the Valley. All of these are well known to have effects on levels of air pollution.
