Human Impact Partners Evidence Base
Articles in Living near roadways increases respiratory disease.
A study of children in the Netherlands found that lung function declined with increasing truck traffic density especially for children living within 300 meters of motorways.
Brunekreef B, Janssen NA, Hartog J. 1997. Air pollution from truck traffic and lung function in children living near motorways. Epidemiology 8:298-303.Children in Erie County, New York hospitalized for asthma were 1.93 times more likely to live within 200 meters of heavily trafficked roads.
Lin S, Munsie JP, Hwang SA, Fitzgerald E, Cayo MR. 2002. Childhood asthma hospitalization and residential exposure to state route traffic.? Environmental Research 88(2):73-81.Among children living within 150 m of a main road in Nottingham, United Kingdom, the risk of wheeze increased with increasing proximity to the road.
Venn AJ, Lewis SA, Cooper M, Hubbard R, Britton J. 2001. Living near a main road and the risk of wheezing illness in children. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 164(12): 2177-2180.In a study of Southern California School Children, living within 75 m of a major road was associated with an increased risk of lifetime asthma, prevalent asthma, and wheeze.
Kim JJ, Smorodinsky S, Lipsett M, Singer BC, Hodgson AT, Ostro B. 2004. Traffic-related air pollution and respiratory health: East Bay Children's Respiratory Health Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 170:520-526.In a low income population of children in San Diego, children with asthma living with 550 feet of high traffic flows were more likely than those residing near lower traffic flows to have more medical care visits for asthma.
English P., Neutra R., Scalf R. Sullivan M. Waller L. Zhu L. 1999. Examining Associations Between Childhood Asthma and Traffic Flow Using a Geographic Information System. Environmental Health Perspectives 107(9): 761-767.In a study of Southern California School Children, living within 75 m of a major road was associated with an increased risk of lifetime asthma, prevalent asthma, and wheeze.
McConnell, R. B., K. Yao, L. Jerrett, M. Lurmann, F. Gilliland, F. Kunzli, N. Gauderman, J. Avol, E. Thomas, D. Peter, J. 2006. Traffic, susceptibility, and Childhood Asthma. Environmental Health Perspectives 114(5): 766-772.In a study conducted in 12 southern California communities, children who lived with 500 meters of a freeway had reduced growth in lung capacity relate to those living greater than 1500 feet from the freeway.
Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Gilliland F, Vora H, Thomas D, Berhane K, McConnell R, Kuenzli N, Lurmann F, Rappaport E, Margolis H, Bates D, Peters J. 2004. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N Engl J Med 351(11):1057-67. Erratum in: N Engl J Med 352(12):1276.There is a 10% increase in forced expiratory flow volume (FEV1)(ability of children to expel air from their lungs) for children who live 1-3 blocks from a primary source of PM as opposed to those children who live immediately next to the pollution source (in this case, a major roadway).
Mikkelsen J. Effect of vehicular particulate matter on the lung function of asthmatic children in Fresno CA. Unpublished manuscript.