Road pollution is a serious danger to children’s health. That’s the worrying conclusion of the longest and largest study ever undertaken into the effects of traffic fumes on child development. Researchers from the University of Southern California spent 13 years studying children who lived within 500 meters of busy highways. They found that most of the 3,600 children in the study had significantly weakened lungs. Researchers said this meant the children could have breathing problems for the rest of their lives. The main author of the study W. James Gauderman said: "Someone suffering a pollution-related deficit in lung function as a child will probably have less than healthy lungs all of his or her life.” He added: "If you live in a high-pollution area and live near a busy road, you get a doubling of the damage.”
道路交通污染威脅兒童健康。研究人員就交通污染對兒童肺組織發(fā)育進行了研究,此項研究也是該領(lǐng)域研究時間最長,規(guī)模最大的一項研究,研究結(jié)果令人擔憂。來自南加州大學的研究人員對生活在距公路500米范圍內(nèi)的兒童進行了調(diào)查,研究歷時13年。在3600名研究對象中,他們發(fā)現(xiàn)多數(shù)兒童的肺功能較弱。據(jù)研究人員所說,他們未來很有可能患有呼吸性疾病。主研究員詹姆斯·關(guān)德曼教授表示:“如果是因為環(huán)境污染,兒童的肺發(fā)育缺陷,那么他們未來的肺健康也會受到影響。”他還補充道:“如果你住在高污染地區(qū),靠近繁忙街道,那么肺病風險加倍。”
Gauderman and his team conducted their research on youngsters who lived near busy roads. Once a year, the team measured the children's lung power. It checked how much air the children could release in one breath and how quickly it could be released. The team found that by their 18th birthday, children who lived within 500 meters of a highway exhaled three per cent less air compared with children who lived one-and-a-half kilometers away. Further, the highway children’s lung power was seven per cent weaker in the rate at which they could exhale. Gauderman said that: "Even if you are in a relatively low regional pollution area, living near a road produces lung problems." About a third of the children moved away from busy roads during the study but stayed near the same community. Their lungs developed more healthily.
關(guān)德曼教授和他的團隊對居住在繁忙街道的兒童進行了研究。并對兒童的肺功能進行了檢測,每年一次。檢查項目包括肺活量,吐氣速度。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)截止到18歲,與生活在1.5公里以外的兒童相比,生活在500米范圍內(nèi)的兒童肺活量水平要低3%。此外,對于生活在公路旁的兒童,吐氣速率也會減弱7%。關(guān)德曼教授表示:“即使你生活在污染相對理想的環(huán)境中,靠近公路也會讓你的肺部產(chǎn)生問題。”在研究過程中,約三分之一的兒童搬離了鬧區(qū),但依然居住在該社區(qū)。他們的肺組織發(fā)育得到了顯著提高。