CB BureauA recent research conducted jointly by experts at Stanford
University and University of California has found that polluted
air directly affects a gene that appears to increase the severity of asthma in
children.
The study was done on 181 children with and without asthma
in the Californian cities Fresno and Palo Alto.
The research report says that air-pollution exposure results in greater
severity of asthma symptoms and lower lung capacity as it suppresses the immune
system’s regulatory T cells (Treg).
Treg cells are responsible for putting the brakes on the
immune system so that it does not react to non-pathogenic substances in the body
that are associated with allergy and asthma.
Fresno was chosen because it is located in California’s
Central Valley, where trapped hot air mixes with high traffic and heavy
agriculture to create some of the highest levels of air pollution in the
country.
Such reports are alarming for countries like India where
air pollution, 70 per cent of which is caused by vehicular emissions, is rapidly
increasing. Moreover, the stringent regulations and norms to curb such increase
are flouted on regular basis.
The findings were published in the October 2010 issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Commit not to drive on January 30, 2011: http://www.causebecause.com/nodrivingday.php