Using Exhaled Gas Analysis to Evaluate the Airway Health Effects Caused by Air Pollutants in Traffic Policemen

Taipei City is a metropolis with dense population and heavy traffic. Traffic policemen always play an important role of giving guidance for traffic, so that they have a high risk with exposure of air pollutants emitted from motor vehicles. Until recently, most studies of exposure assessment for traffic police were focused on carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Few studies were addressed on evaluation of suspended particulate matter (including PM2.5 and PM1) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure in traffic police. Therefore, this study will investigate air pollutants (including PM10, PM2.5, PM1, NO2, CO and O3) exposure during work in traffic policemen by using personal sampling method. Previous studies mainly evaluated pulmonary function for airway health effects in traffic policemen. However, no study was assessed traffic policemen’ airway inflammation caused by air pollutants using exhaled breath analysis. Further study will be investigated the relationship between exposure of air pollutants from motor vehicles emission during work and airway inflammation in traffic policemen. We, therefore, will propose a three-year research plan to accomplish anticipated work as below. In year one, the study will investigate of traffic-related air pollutants exposure in the traffic policemen in district of Datong in Taipei city, and evaluate the relationship between concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants measured at the ambient air monitoring site operated by Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that located in district of Datong and exposure concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants in traffic policemen. In year two, this study will evaluate the exhaled nitric oxide, exhaled breath condensate pH, and pulmonary function in traffic policemen without history of allergy and airway diseases before and after work in four seasons. In year three, this study will explore the severity of airway inflammation caused by inhalation of traffic-related air pollutants in traffic policemen with allergic diseases (asthma and allergic rhinitis) using exhaled gas indicators. In addition, comparison of exhaled gas indicators (exhaled nitric oxide and exhaled breath condensate pH) before and after work in four seasons between traffic policemen without history of allergy and airway diseases and those with allergic diseases will be achieved in the study.

Project ID:PC9902-0478
External Project ID:NSC97-2314-B182-015-MY3