Freeways Bad for Kids' Lungs

Ivanhoe Newswire
Monday, January 29, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- You wouldn't let your kids run out onto the freeway to play. Turns out, it's also not a good idea to let them breath the air coming from those freeways.

University of California, Los Angeles, researchers, who studied nearly 3,700 kids in diverse areas of the state, report children who grow up in the shadows of a major roadway have stunted lung growth.

Study authors write children experience rapid lung growth between ages 10 and 18, so what they breath during those years can have a big impact on how well their lungs will turn out. This study reveals proximity to high traffic areas has a detrimental effect, with children living within 500 meters of a freeway demonstrating pronounced deficiencies on standard lung function tests when compared to those living at least 1,500 meters away from such a roadway.

Regional air pollution levels also affected the kids' lung development, but the freeway findings raise particular concern, since housing near freeways is becoming more and more common in urban areas.

"In many urban areas, population growth is forcing the construction of housing tracts and schools near to busy roadways, with the result that many children live and attend school in close proximity to major sources of air pollution," write the UCLA authors. "In view of the magnitude of the reported effects and the importance of lung function as a determinant of adult morbidity and mortality, reduction of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants could lead to substantial public-health benefits."

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SOURCE: The Lancet, published online Jan. 26, 2007