Effect of Air Pollution on Incidence of Asthma: A Case Study in Children
Full citation and abstract?
S. Siddique, M. Banerjee , M.R. Ray and Twisha Lahiri, “Effect of Air Pollution on Incidence of Asthma: A Case Study in Children,” Environ. We Int. J. Sci. Tech. 5 (2010) 163-175.
S. Siddique, M. Banerjee , M.R. Ray and Twisha Lahiri conducted a study on the prevelance of asthma in 16,164 children aged between 6-17 years. 11,628 of the children were form Delhi and 4,536 were from the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal. Researchers used a laser photometer to measure air quality, and EPI info 6.0 and SPSS was used to process the collected data. The results of the study found that the prevalence of asthma in Delhi children was much more prevalent than that of the control group’s, with 4.6% and 1.7% for Delhi, and 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group. Researchers also found that the prevalence of asthma was higher in larger families.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
S. Siddique- Exposure and Biomonitoring Division, Environmental Health, Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
M. Banerjee- Indian Institute Technology, Guwahati, India.
M.R. Ray- Department of Experimental Hematology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute,Kolkata, India.
Twisha Lahiri- Nature, Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), Kolkata, India.
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
The main findings of the study are that the prevalence of asthma in Delhi children was much more prevalent than that of the control group’s, with 4.6% and 1.7% for Delhi children, and 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group. Researchers also found that the prevalence of asthma was higher in larger families.
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
The argument is supported by the fact that in both rural and urban settings, larger sized families had a higher prevalence of asthma. Numbers of children from small (upto 4 members), medium (5-6 members), and large (more than 6 members), were 5481, 4007, and 2203 in Delhi and 841, 1843, and 1852 in the control group. 2.2% of subjects from large families were diagnosed with asthma by their physician and 1.3% of those were diagnosed in the small families in Delhi. 1.1% were diagnosed in the large families in the control group and 0.6% in the small families in the control group. Thus, large family sized was more common among asthmatic children.
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
“Urban air pollutants cause a wide range of acute and chronic effects in children’s respiratory system. Children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants than the adults. Indian capital has the dubious distinction of one of the most polluted cities in the world.” “Children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants than the adults because their immune systems and developing organs are still immature, the special vulnerability of children to air pollution exposure is related to major differences in the physiology of a child and an adult (Gilliland et al., 1999).” “In essence, large family size was more common among asthmatic children and the association was significant (p<0.05).”
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
The study used 16,164 subjects, all between the ages of 6-17; 11,628 of the subjects were school-going children enrolled in schools in Delhi, and 4,536 were school children from the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal.
A questionnaire survey was used for determining which subjects had asthma symptoms. The questionnaire was based on the British Medical Research Council Cotes, 1987, American Thoracic Society (ATS), and National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) Division of Lung Disease (DLD) questionanaire, and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and lung Disease bronchial symptoms questionnaire.
The air quality monitoring stations of Central Pollution Control Board were used to collected data on concentration of ambient air pollution with regards to RSPM, carcinogenic organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, and ozone. Researchers used a laser photometer to measure air quality, and EPI info 6.0 and SPSS was used to process the collected data.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The article talked about how the children form Delhi are the ones that are impacted the most by air pollution, as opposed to the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal; though the article did not discuss this topic, it raises the question of a difference in socioeconomic standings of the two areas, as well as how those differences may be impacting the children inhabiting them. The health disparity discussed in the article regarded the 4.6% and 1.7% prevalence of asthma in Delhi children, as opposed to the 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
The fact that 3 of the four authors are from India, it tells me that there is more of a connection between the authors and the topic discussed. The authors might also have a better idea of what is going on in India since they actually work in the place where they are conducting their study.
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
I followed up on Delhi’s air pollution problem and learned that almost 4.4 million schoolchildren in Delhi have lung damage form poisonous air, as found in a study conducted by one of India’s top cancer institutes, Kolkata-based Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute.
- Full citation and abstract?
S. Siddique, M. Banerjee , M.R. Ray and Twisha Lahiri, “Effect of Air Pollution on Incidence of Asthma: A Case Study in Children,” Environ. We Int. J. Sci. Tech. 5 (2010) 163-175.S. Siddique, M. Banerjee , M.R. Ray and Twisha Lahiri conducted a study on the prevelance of asthma in 16,164 children aged between 6-17 years. 11,628 of the children were form Delhi and 4,536 were from the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal. Researchers used a laser photometer to measure air quality, and EPI info 6.0 and SPSS was used to process the collected data. The results of the study found that the prevalence of asthma in Delhi children was much more prevalent than that of the control group’s, with 4.6% and 1.7% for Delhi, and 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group. Researchers also found that the prevalence of asthma was higher in larger families.
- Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
S. Siddique- Exposure and Biomonitoring Division, Environmental Health, Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada.M. Banerjee- Indian Institute Technology, Guwahati, India.
M.R. Ray- Department of Experimental Hematology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute,Kolkata, India.
Twisha Lahiri- Nature, Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), Kolkata, India.
- What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
The main findings of the study are that the prevalence of asthma in Delhi children was much more prevalent than that of the control group’s, with 4.6% and 1.7% for Delhi children, and 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group. Researchers also found that the prevalence of asthma was higher in larger families.- Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
The argument is supported by the fact that in both rural and urban settings, larger sized families had a higher prevalence of asthma. Numbers of children from small (upto 4 members), medium (5-6 members), and large (more than 6 members), were 5481, 4007, and 2203 in Delhi and 841, 1843, and 1852 in the control group. 2.2% of subjects from large families were diagnosed with asthma by their physician and 1.3% of those were diagnosed in the small families in Delhi. 1.1% were diagnosed in the large families in the control group and 0.6% in the small families in the control group. Thus, large family sized was more common among asthmatic children.- What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
“Urban air pollutants cause a wide range of acute and chronic effects in children’s respiratory system. Children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants than the adults. Indian capital has the dubious distinction of one of the most polluted cities in the world.”“Children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants than the adults because their immune systems and developing organs are still immature, the special vulnerability of children to air pollution exposure is related to major differences in the physiology of a child and an adult (Gilliland et al., 1999).”
“In essence, large family size was more common among asthmatic children and the association was significant (p<0.05).”
- What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
The study used 16,164 subjects, all between the ages of 6-17; 11,628 of the subjects were school-going children enrolled in schools in Delhi, and 4,536 were school children from the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal.A questionnaire survey was used for determining which subjects had asthma symptoms. The questionnaire was based on the British Medical Research Council Cotes, 1987, American Thoracic Society (ATS), and National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) Division of Lung Disease (DLD) questionanaire, and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and lung Disease bronchial symptoms questionnaire.
The air quality monitoring stations of Central Pollution Control Board were used to collected data on concentration of ambient air pollution with regards to RSPM, carcinogenic organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, and ozone.
Researchers used a laser photometer to measure air quality, and EPI info 6.0 and SPSS was used to process the collected data.
- How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The article talked about how the children form Delhi are the ones that are impacted the most by air pollution, as opposed to the rural areas of Uttaranchal and West Bengal; though the article did not discuss this topic, it raises the question of a difference in socioeconomic standings of the two areas, as well as how those differences may be impacting the children inhabiting them.The health disparity discussed in the article regarded the 4.6% and 1.7% prevalence of asthma in Delhi children, as opposed to the 2.5% and 1.1% for the control group.
- Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
- Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
The fact that 3 of the four authors are from India, it tells me that there is more of a connection between the authors and the topic discussed. The authors might also have a better idea of what is going on in India since they actually work in the place where they are conducting their study.- What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
I followed up on Delhi’s air pollution problem and learned that almost 4.4 million schoolchildren in Delhi have lung damage form poisonous air, as found in a study conducted by one of India’s top cancer institutes, Kolkata-based Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute.