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Southampton research on air
pollution (ozone) and asthma
By Dr Thirumala Krishna and
Professor Stephen Holgate
As a result of increasing public
concern about air pollution and its links with asthma,
researchers in Southampton have established the `Southampton
Multidisciplinary Air Pollution Research Group' (SMARG) to
address various issues relating to air pollution and public
health.
In the past most of the
environmental research relating to the epidemiology and
toxicology of air pollution has been carried out in the USA.
However, there have been increasing calls for more air pollution
research to be carried out in this country, partly due to the
relentless rise in the use of motor vehicles which has brought a
new spectrum of pollutants, and partly due to the increased
incidence and seriousness of asthma.
SMARG are currently investigating
the effects of ozone and nitrogen dioxide on the human airways,
work which has received financial support from the British Lung
Foundation, the Medical Research Council, and the European
Commission Concerted Action grants.
Ozone is principally a summer
pollutant and is formed as a result of a series of complex
chemical reactions involving volatile organic compounds and
oxides of nitrogen in the presence of sunlight. Previous studies
have shown that ozone at ambient levels can affect lung function
adversely in normal humans.
Studies have also shown that
exposure to ozone can make patients suffering from asthma and
hay fever more sensitive to allergens such as pollen and house
dust mite. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown
increases in the number of patients admitted for acute asthmatic
attacks immediately following `ozone episodes'.
SMARG are currently investigating
the various mechanisms underlying the inflammatory effects of
ozone on human airways and testing the hypothesis that vitamins
protect us from the adverse effects of these pollutants. They
have built an ozone exposure system in their laboratory which is
capable of generating required concentrations of ozone, to which
the volunteers are exposed under controlled artificial settings.
Over the next few years SMARG
expect the research into the effects of different air pollutants
on patients suffering from asthma and rhinitis to help set
better air quality standards and policies for reducing motor
vehicle traffic in the UK.
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