Research Shows Mexico City Pollution Severely Harms Children's Lungs

A new study shows that air pollution in Mexico City harms children's lung growth. Previous research has found that children living in polluted areas have a higher risk of lung diseases. However, that research suggested that the damage was reversible in most cases. In this new study, it suggests that the pollution contributes to long-term chronic diseases that cannot be reversed.

Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is one of the world's largest cities. It is home to more that eighteen million people. Mexico City has attempted to cut its pollution, trying everything from closing factories to implementing strict vehicle rules. However, the geography of the city is working against these efforts. The city has a high elevation, approximately 7,300 feet above sea level and it is perched in a valley. The thin air of the high altitude and the surrounding valley cause the pollution to get trapped. On average, smog levels in Mexico City exceed American quality standards for several hours a day. Particulate matter also exceeds American standards.

In an earlier study, lung damage was found in children of Mexico City who were seemingly healthy. All prior research suggested that pollution can cause lung diseases such as asthma. The study was important because it took that research further and proved that lung disease did not have to be present for damage to have occurred in children's lungs. In the study, researchers analyzed X-rays of 241 Mexico City children and compared them with 19 children from a small coastal village. The research found that 63% of the Mexican City children had excessive inflammation of not one, but both lungs. On the other hand, only one child from the coastal village had lung inflammation and it was deemed to be very mild. The researchers also took CT scans of the twenty-five children who had the most abnormal X-rays. The scans found ten with thickening of the bronchial airways, eight with trapped air in their lungs, four with prominent central airways, and one with a lung nodule.

At the time the first study was published, researchers suggested that some of the changes could be reversed if the children were to move somewhere with less pollution. However, the newest study says that that is unlikely. The study followed 3,170 Mexican city children aged eight. The researchers found that the pollution had severe adverse effects on the lungs causing them to not grow or work properly. The study also says that the damage to the children's lungs from the pollution is worse than that of chronic cigarette smoke exposure. The pollution is believed to cause chronic lung diseases when the children become adults.

Researchers may now begin to look at other less polluted cities, such as those in the United States, and see if similarities are found. Although it has been known that pollution is unhealthy, these studies are beginning to shed light on the severity of the issue.

Sources

Reuters

http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/1328

Associated Press
http://usatoday.com/news/health/child/2001-11-28-lung-damage.htmhttp://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/1328