Estimating Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Its Consequences on Respiratory Health in Population Working or Living along the Trunk Road: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Urban Air pollution is increasingly becoming a major health and sustainable development issue. Several studies showed that Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is one of the main sources of urban air pollution and has serious consequences on respiratory health. As no systematic review focused on the traffic-related air pollution and respiratory health in the target population of individuals working in a shop or in an office or individuals living along the trunk road, the authors conducted the current study to try to fill this gap. Methods: A systematic review search was conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed), Scientific Research Publishing: SCIRP, Web of Science, Google scholar. Studies were included if they meet the following selection criteria: 1) focus on population working or living along a major/trunk road; 2) studies had reported clearly at least on the exposure variables related to TRAP; 3) the association between TRAP and development of respiratory symptoms or respiratory diseases was established. Results: 13 articles were selected on the 192 articles that were retrieved in the initial research. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution was determined by using distance to road, traffic intensity and pollutants measured. The main respiratory health problems found were cough, wheeze, asthma and bronchitis. No article discussed about roundabouts in characterizing exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Conclusion: Distance to road, traffic density and pollutants measured are the usual methods to characterize the exposure to traffic-related air pollution and its consequences on respiratory health. Regarding the context of area occupations in African cities, it is necessary to focus on population around roundabouts and see if they are not more exposed to TRAP.

Pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations

Human exposures to pesticides can occur in the workplace,in the household and through the ambient environment.While several articles have reviewed the impact of pesticide exposures on human respiratory health in occupational settings,to the best of our knowledge,this article is the first one to review published studies on the association between pesticide exposures and human respiratory health in the general populations.In this article,we critically reviewed evidences up to date studying the associations between non-occupational pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations.This article also highlighted questions arising from these studies,including our recent analyses using the data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey（CHMS）,for future research.We found few studies have addressed the impact of environmental pesticide exposures on respiratory health,especially on lung function,in general populations.In the studies using the data from CHMS Cycle 1,exposures to OP insecticides,pyrethroid insecticides,and the organochlorine pesticide DDT were associated with impaired lung function in the Canadian general population,but no significant associations were observed for the herbicide 2,4-D.Future research should focus on the potential age-specific and pesticide-specific effect on respiratory health in the general population,and repeated longitudinal study design is critical for assessing the temporal variations in pesticide exposures.Research findings from current studies of non-occupational pesticide exposures and their health impact in general population will help to improve the role of regulatory policies in mitigating pesticide-related public health problems,and thereafter providing greater benefit to the general population.