(Respiratory Research) Both short and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollutants have been associated with asthma and reduced lung function. The authors hypothesized that short-term indoor exposure to fine particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) and vanadium (V) would be associated with altered buccal cell DNA methylation of targeted asthma genes and decreased lung function among urban children in a nested subcohort of African American and Dominican children. The study concludes that short-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with lower lung function in kids.
Jung, K. H., Torrone, D., Lovinsky-Desir, S., Perzanowski, M., Bautista, J., Jezioro, J. R., Hoepner, L., Ross, J., Perera, F. P., Chillrud, S. N., & Miller, R. L. (2017). Short-term exposure to PM2.5 and vanadium and changes in asthma gene DNA methylation and lung function decrements among urban children. Respiratory research, 18(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-017-0550-9