Exposure to PM(2.5) and Lung Function Growth in Pre- and Early-Adolescent Schoolchildren: A Longitudinal Study Involving Repeated Lung Function Measurements in Japan

RATIONALE: Epidemiological evidence indicates that ambient exposure to particulate matter ⩽2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5)) has adverse effects on lung function growth in children, but it is not actually clear whether exposure to low-level PM(2.5) results in long-term decrements in lung function growth in pre- to early-adolescent schoolchildren. OBJECTIVES: To examine long-term effects of PM(2.5) within the 4-year average concentration range of 10–19 μg/m(3) on lung function growth with repeated measurements of lung function tests. METHODS: Longitudinal analysis of 6,233 lung function measurements in 1,466 participants aged 8–12 years from 16 school communities in 10 cities around Japan, covering a broad area of the country to represent concentration ranges of PM(2.5), was done with a multilevel linear regression model. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity (FVC), and maximal expiratory flow at 50% of FVC were used as lung function indicators to examine the effects of 10-μg/m(3) increases in the PM(2.5) concentration on relative growth per each 10-cm increase in height. RESULTS: The overall annual mean PM(2.5) level was 13.5 μg/m(3) (range, 10.4–19.0 μg/m(3)). We found no association between any of the lung function growth indicators and increases in PM(2.5) levels in children of either sex, even after controlling for potential confounders. Analysis with two-pollutant models with O(3) or NO(2) did not change the null results. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide longitudinal study suggests that concurrent, long-term exposure to PM(2.5) at concentrations ranging from 10.4 to 19.0 μg/m(3) has little effect on lung function growth in preadolescent boys or pre- to early-adolescent girls.