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Dr. Nina Shapiro

A CLOSER LOOK: AIR POLLUTION

Take a deep breath — more bad news on air pollution

By Jill U. Adams

October 12, 2009

The consequences of breathing bad air is linked to appendicitis and ear infections, new studies indicate.It’s easy to see how air pollution would affect respiratory disease: You breathe in smog-filled miasma all day and the ozone, other noxious gases and small particulate matter therein can make you wheeze and cough. Pollutants can trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis in susceptible individuals.

But it’s harder at first blush to understand links to other conditions. In two studies reported last week, bad air was associated with higher rates of appendicitis and ear infections.

The new reports have been met with surprise because neither health problem seems obviously linked with the airway or bloodstream. At the same time, they represent a trend toward broadening the research scope of air pollution and health.

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