Effects of Chronic Exposure to Urban Air Pollution on Red Blood Cells in Children

Abstract

Air quality has become a dominant factor in relation to environmental change in the last decades. The study presented in this chapter aims to indicate the significance of air quality monitoring, with special attention to children as a segment of the population at greater risk. In the study, the city of Nis is examined with regard to the effect of chronic exposure to urban air pollution on red blood cells in children. It is a pilot retrospective study including 354 schoolchildren aged 11-14 years. The group of exposed children (n = 215) attend school in a city area with a high level of air pollution while the children in the comparative group (n = 139), designated as the non-exposed group, attend school in an area with a lower level of air pollution. The diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia is made using pre-defined criteria. The concentrations in air of black smoke, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead in sediment matter are determined for the period from 1990 to 2000. The red blood cell count and average amounts of hemoglobin in blood levels of the exposed children differ significantly from those of the non-exposed children. Also, the prevalence of anaemia in children exposed to higher levels of air pollutants is significantly higher than in the non-exposed children. These findings suggest that even relatively low levels of air pollution have negative effects on red blood cells in children and increase the risk of anaemia occurrence.