Grants and Fellowships | 2014

20 Multi-Year Research Grants Prevalence, Extent and Geographical Distribution of Asthma and Atopic Diseases in Young Adults in Israel and the Relationship with Air Quality Background: Air pollution from mobile sources is associated with increasing asthma prevalence. In Israel, traffic is a major air pollution source. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to evaluate the possible association and its extent between exposure to nitrogen oxides, markers of traffic-related air pollution and asthma prevalence in young adults in Israel. Methods: A searchable database of air pollution in Israel was constructed for the years 1997-2008, based on information from the Ministry for Environmental Protection and the Israel Electric Company. The study included 36,874 young males who underwent the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) health examination and lived in one of twenty cities with at least one air monitoring station. We used half-hourly measurements of NO, NO 2 , and NO x . As proxy for cumulative lifetime exposures to traffic pollution, we examined 1-, 2-, and 3-year average NO, NO 2 , and NO x concentrations assigned to each subject based on city of residence and date of medical examination using logistic regression models, and accounting for other confounders. Results: Physician-diagnosed asthma prevalence occurred in 6.5% of the subjects, 3.4% with active asthma and 3.1% with non-active asthma. Socio-demographic factors, birth country of father, birth country, cognitive abilities, education-level, body mass index, socio-economic status and number of children in the family, were also associated with asthma prevalence. After accounting for these factors we found high association of asthma with NO, NO 2 and NO x exposure. Conclusions: Consistent and significant positive associations were found between asthma prevalence and NO x levels which are lower than the exposure standards set by environmental protection agencies. Among the active asthma group, odd ratios were considerably higher for NO 2 and NO x than among the non-active asthma group, especially at the highest quintile of exposure. It is possible that residual confounding due to covariates that were not included in the current modeling approach may explain some of the observed findings regarding asthma prevalence. Implications for Israel: The NO x pollution standard in Israel is high (as in other countries). Our results suggest that the standards should be lower in order to reduce asthma prevalence. Yinon Rudich 1 | Jeremy Sarnat 2 Arnon Afek 3 | Shlomo Moshe 4 Ron Frimer 5 | Alon Peretz 6 Nili Greenberg 5 1. Weizmann Institute of Science 2. Emory University, USA 3. The Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer 4. Maccabi Healthcare Services 5. Medical Corps, Israel Defense Force (IDF) 6. Clalit Health Services 2008-2012