The Contribution of Geogenic Particulate Matter to Lung Disease in Indigenous Children.
Carrington C J ShepherdHolly D CliffordFrancis MitrouShannon M MelodyEllen J BennettFay H JohnstonLuke D KnibbsGavin PereiraJanessa L PickeringTeck H TeoLea-Ann S KirkhamRuth B ThorntonAnthony KicicKak-Ming LingZachary AlachMatthew LesterPeter J FranklinDavid ReidGraeme R ZoskyPublished in: International journal of environmental research and public health (2019)
Indigenous children have much higher rates of ear and lung disease than non-Indigenous children, which may be related to exposure to high levels of geogenic (earth-derived) particulate matter (PM). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dust levels and health in Indigenous children in Western Australia (W.A.). Data were from a population-based sample of 1077 Indigenous children living in 66 remote communities of W.A. (>2,000,000 km2), with information on health outcomes derived from carer reports and hospitalisation records. Associations between dust levels and health outcomes were assessed by multivariate logistic regression in a multi-level framework. We assessed the effect of exposure to community sampled PM on epithelial cell (NuLi-1) responses to non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) in vitro. High dust levels were associated with increased odds of hospitalisation for upper (OR 1.77 95% CI [1.02-3.06]) and lower (OR 1.99 95% CI [1.08-3.68]) respiratory tract infections and ear disease (OR 3.06 95% CI [1.20-7.80]). Exposure to PM enhanced NTHi adhesion and invasion of epithelial cells and impaired IL-8 production. Exposure to geogenic PM may be contributing to the poor respiratory health of disadvantaged communities in arid environments where geogenic PM levels are high.
Keyphrases
- particulate matter
- air pollution
- young adults
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- healthcare
- respiratory tract
- mental health
- public health
- heavy metals
- human health
- risk assessment
- health risk assessment
- emergency department
- staphylococcus aureus
- south africa
- cell migration
- artificial intelligence
- cystic fibrosis
- drinking water
- data analysis