TRAFFIC-RELATED EXPOSURES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES OF CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA LIVING BOTH NEAR AND FAR FROM HIGHWAYS

Background and aims: Proximity to major roads has been associated with respiratory disorders and other adverse health effects. However, the understanding of traffic-related exposures and the associated health impacts is incomplete. Concentrations can vary dramatically spatially and temporally, and a fine spatial scale is needed to resolve traffic-related pollutants such as PM, black carbon (BC), NOx, and VOCs. This paper describes results obtained in recent and ongoing exposure and epidemiological studies in Detroit, Michigan. Methods: We first explore the use of Medicaid data to investigate associations of acute asthma outcomes among Detroit children and proximity to major roads using a population-matched case-control analysis over a three year period, conditional linear regression, and both linear and nonlinear relationships with distance. We then present the design and preliminary results from an ongoing case-control study in which children with asthma were selected on the basis of residential proximit...