| 1. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Air pollution and respiratory health of children : the PEACE panel study in Umea., Sweden.
- 1998
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In: European Respiratory Review. - 0905-9180 .- 1600-0617. ; 8:52, s. 12-19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Pollution Effects on Asthmatic Children in Europe (PEACE) study examined the acute effects of short-term changes in air pollution on symptomatic children. We were one of 14 research centres in Europe that used a common study protocol. Seventy five children in an urban panel and 72 children in a control panel, selected with a screening questionnaire, were characterized with lung function tests and skin-prick tests and followed in a 12 week diary study. Identical air quality monitoring stations were set up in our two study areas. The levels and ranges in concentrations for all air pollution indices were small. A negative correlation was seen between time spent outdoors and pollution levels, which may have weakened the correlation between personal exposure and outdoor concentrations and obscured any effect of air pollution. No consistent pattern of relations between air pollution and adverse effects were found, but particulates and nitrogen dioxide tended to be associated with a nonsignificant increase in symptoms and medication use on the same day. No clear effect of air pollution on respiratory health could be demonstrated.
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| 2. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Childhood asthma in four regions in Scandinavia : risk factors and avoidance effects
- 1997
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In: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 26:3, s. 610-619
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The high and increasing prevalence of childhood asthma is a major public health issue. Various risk factors have been proposed in local studies with different designs.METHODS: We have made a questionnaire study of the prevalence of childhood asthma, potential risk factors and their relations in four regions in Scandinavia (Umeå and Malmö in Sweden, Kuopio in eastern Finland and Oslo, Norway). One urban and one less urbanized area were selected in each region, and a study group of 15962 children aged 6-12 years was recruited.RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma varied considerably between different areas (dry cough 8-19%, asthma attacks 4-8%, physician-diagnosed asthma 4-9%), as did the potential risk factors. Urban residency was generally not a risk factor. However, dry cough was common in the most traffic polluted area. Exposure to some of the risk factors. such as smoking indoors and moisture stains or moulds at home during the first 2 years of life, resulted in an increased risk. However, current exposure was associated with odds ratios less than one.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings were probably due to a combination of early impact and later avoidance of these risk factors. The effects of some risk factors were found to differ significantly between regions. No overall pattern between air pollution and asthma was seen, but air pollution differed less than expected between the areas.
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| 3. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Daily air pollution levels and acute asthma in southern Sweden
- 1998
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In: European Respiratory Journal. - Copenhagen : Munksgaard Forlag. - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 12:4, s. 900-905
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study aimed to investigate the association between daily air pollution levels and the occurrence of acute respiratory signs and symptoms among people with asthma or asthma-like problems.Thirty eight subjects in the southern Swedish city of Landskrona kept a daily diary for 10 weeks. The daily prevalence of symptoms, supplementary bronchodilator use and peak flow deviations were compared with measurements of environmental nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide, temperature and humidity in the city.The occurrence of severe asthma, both during the day and during the evening, was significantly positively associated with the concurrent 24 h average concentration of NO2, which never exceeded 72 microg x m(-3). A correlation of borderline significance was found between the use of on-demand medication and the NO2 level. However, peak flow deviations were not associated with air pollution or weather conditions, which may be explained by the beneficial effect of bronchodilators used by 28 of the subjects.The results of this study confirm those of some earlier studies and suggest that aggravation of asthma is related to daily variations in air quality, as indicated by relatively low ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide. These results also indicate that it may be appropriate to examine severe asthma symptoms separately.
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| 4. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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People can detect poor air quality well below guideline concentrations : a prevalence study of annoyance reactions and air pollution from traffic
- 1997
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In: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 54:1, s. 44-48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Motor vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of atmospheric pollution in cities in industrialised countries. They cause respiratory disease and annoy people exposed to them. The relation between ambient exposure to air pollution mainly from motor vehicles and annoyance reactions in a general population was assessed. Also, the importance of factors such as age, sex, respiratory disease, access to the use of a car, and smoking habits on the reporting of these reactions was studied.METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent out in 55 urban areas in Sweden that had nearly identical air quality monitoring stations of the urban air monitoring network. From each area, 150 people aged 16-70 were randomly selected. The questionnaire contained questions on perception of air quality as well as a question on how often exhaust fumes were annoying.RESULTS: Six-monthly nitrogen dioxide concentrations correlated consistently with the prevalence of reported annoyance related to air pollution and traffic exhaust fumes. Black smoke and sulphur dioxide had no significant effects. The frequency of reporting annoyance reactions was higher among people with asthma, women, and people with lack of access to a car.CONCLUSIONS: In this study town dwellers could detect poor air quality at concentrations well below current guidelines for outdoor air pollution. This suggests that questionnaire studies have a place in monitoring air quality.
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| 5. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Prevalence of respiratory and hyperreactivity symptoms in relation to levels of criteria air pollutants in Sweden
- 1997
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In: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 7:3, s. 291-296
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Our knowledge of the adverse health effects from exposure to low levels of air pollution is still insufficient. Early indicators, such as respiratory symptoms, need more attention. We made use of the fact that possible weak effects can be detected more easily when the relevant exposure and other determinants are well controlled. A postal questionnaire was sent to random samples of inhabitants registered as residing in the Vicinity of 55 centrally located air quality monitoring stations in Swedish towns. There were 6,109 questionnaires (76%) returned. Multivariate analyses with confounding control were used to examine the effects of different levels of criteria pollutants on the prevalence of symptoms. The ranges of the half year values were 9-32 and 2-16 mu g/m(3) for nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed higher risks for respiratory problems such as coughs, throat irritation and nose irritation among the persons most exposed, The associations were most obvious for nitrogen dioxide exposure among women. The suggested effects of air pollution exposure cannot be medically evaluated today but they are nevertheless interesting since they are found within common levels usually considered to be safe.
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