Air Pollution Exposure can Accelerate Lung Disease as Much as a Pack a Day of Cigarettes

Long-term exposure to common air pollutants is linked to significant progression of lung disease like emphysema, finds a new study.

Long-term exposure to slightly raised levels of air pollution can be associated with the accelerated development of lung damage, even among individuals who have never smoked, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal JAMA.//

Exposure to air pollution was linked to increases in emphysema between 2000 and 2018, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), both part of the National Institutes of Health. Emphysema, usually associated with smokers, is a chronic disease in which lung tissue is destroyed and unable to transfer oxygen in the body effectively.

Emphysema - Causes, Types, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, marked by alveolar damage and reduced air flow to lungs leading to breathlessness and cough.

‘Long-term exposure to air pollution may exacerbate lung disease as much as a daily pack of cigarettes.’

"These findings may offer one explanation for why emphysema is found in some people who never smoked," said James Kiley, Ph.D., NHLBI's director of the Division of Lung Diseases. "The study's results, duration, and timing offer insight into the long-term effects of air pollution on the U.S. population."

The relationship between various air pollutants and emphysema was measured through computed tomography (CT) lung imaging and lung function testing. Consistent results were found in these varied metropolitan regions: Winston-Salem, North Carolina; St. Paul, Minnesota; New York City; Baltimore; Chicago; and Los Angeles. Participants came from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a medical research study, and involved more than 7,000 men and women from the six localities.

"The combined health effect of multiple air pollutants ozone, fine particles are known as PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon ? was greater than when the pollutants were assessed individually," said Bonnie Joubert, Ph.D., a scientific program director at NIEHS. "With the study's long-running duration, repeated CT scans allowed an analysis of changes in emphysema over time."

Exposure to Air Pollution Causes Your Lungs to Age Faster and Increases Lung Disease Risk
Exposure to outdoor air pollution causes faster aging of lung tissue, reduce lung function and increase the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers measured all major air pollutants with longitudinal increases in percent emphysema revealed by more than 15,000 CT scans acquired from 2000 to 2018. Over the same period, MESA carefully tracked air pollution. MESA is unique in its meticulous characterization of air pollution exposures along with repeated CT scans of lungs in study participants.

"Air pollution is a significant public health concern around the world," said Gwen Collman, Ph.D., director of NIEHS' Division of Extramural Research and Training. "It's been a priority of NIEHS research for many years, so it's great when we can accelerate our efforts by joining with other NIH institutes in supporting research on lung disease."

World Environment Day - Together, We Can Beat Air Pollution
World Environment Day (WED) observed annually on the 5th June aims to spread awareness about the dangers of environmental pollution and is a wake-up call to all of us to do our part to preserve and protect our environment.

Emphysema is a debilitating disease, and people with emphysema have difficulty breathing along with a persistent cough and phlegm. It makes physical and social activities difficult, creates work hardships, and may result in detrimental emotional conditions. Its development can be a slow, lifelong process. Emphysema is not curable, but treatments help manage the disease.

Understanding and controlling emphysema may lead to better treatment.

Exposure to Air Pollution Impacts Health and Longevity
Exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution is associated with mortality, especially from cardiorespiratory disease and loss of life expectancy.

"It's important that we continue to explore factors that contribute to emphysema, particularly in a large, multi-ethnic group of adults such as those represented by MESA," Kiley said.

"We need to assess the effectiveness of strategies to control air pollutants in our efforts to improve heart and lung health," said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., director of NHLBI's Division of Cardiovascular Sciences. "At the same time, people need to remember the importance of a healthy diet, physical activity, and smoking cessation for overall health."

Source-Eurekalert