Effect of short-term exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter on repeated lung function measures in infancy: A South African birth cohort

The developing lung is highly susceptible to environmental toxicants, with both short- and long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants linked to early childhood effects. This study assessed the short-term exposure effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) on lung function in infants aged 6 weeks, 6, 12 and 24 months, the early developmental phase of child growth. Lung function was determined by multiple breath washout and tidal breathing measurement in non-sedated infants. Individual exposure to NO2 and PM10 was determined by hybrid land use regression and dispersion modelling, with two-week average estimates (preceding the test date). Linear mixed models were used to adjust for the repeated measures design and an age*exposure interaction was introduced to obtain effect estimates for each age group. There were 165 infants that had lung function testing, with 82 of them having more than one test occasion. Exposure to PM10 (μg/m3) resulted in a decline in tidal volume at 6 weeks [-0.4 ml (−0.9; 0.0), p = 0.065], 6 months [-0.5 ml (−1.0; 0.0), p = 0.046] and 12 months [-0.3 ml (−0.7; 0.0), p = 0.045]. PM10 was related to an increase in respiratory rate and minute ventilation, while a decline was observed for functional residual capacity for the same age groups, though not statistically significant for these outcomes. Such associations were however less evident for exposure to NO2, with inconsistent changes observed across measurement parameters and age groups. Our study suggests that PM10 results in acute lung function impairments among infants from a low-socioeconomic setting, while the association with NO2 is less convincing.