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Effects of aeroallergens on the lung function of primary school children at two contrasting sites in South-East England

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Abstract

It is well known that airborne pollen canaffect lung function and general well-being. This is particularly true for individualspredisposed to respiratory complications (forexample sufferers from hay fever and asthma). Globally, there is evidence that asthmaincidence is increasing in children over 2years of age, and, within the UK, thesouth-east of England has the highest incidencefor all ages in the population.Variations in lung function of school children(measured as peak expiratory volume) withassociated changes in airborne pollen andpollution loads at two contrasting sites (oneurban, the other rural) within the Medway Townsin south-east England were measured during thepollen season in 1998. Children of similar agesand social backgrounds participated in thestudies, and account was taken of children withknown respiratory problems. Pollen, pollutionand weather data were collected at each site.

A picture has been obtained of how changes inlocal and regional aeroallergen levels, as wellas other environmental factors, effect publichealth in this region of England. Children atthe urban site produced consistently betteraverage lung function results, although morepollen was caught there. At the rural sitethere was generally no relationship betweenpollen counts and lung function. As expected,lung function was lower on anticyclonic dayswhen there was less mixing in the air. Thereis strong evidence that episodes of airpollution were more important in promotingreduced peak expiratory flows than specificaeroallergen levels alone. Whilst thisrequires further investigation, it confirmsthat attributing changes in lung functionsolely to pollen levels may sometimes bemisleading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich at Medway, Chatham, UK, ME4 4TB

    P.J.A. Burt & P. Sharma

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  1. P.J.A. Burt
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  2. P. Sharma
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Burt, P., Sharma, P. Effects of aeroallergens on the lung function of primary school children at two contrasting sites in South-East England. Aerobiologia 18, 125–134 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020616915865

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