RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Jul 23, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. researchers
have linked free radicals inhaled as an infant to lung disease as an adult.
Using protein profiling techniques, the researchers found the genes of infants
breathing in environmentally persistent free radicals present in airborne ultra
fine particulate matter produced a number of proteins -- including one
associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and steroid-resistant
asthma. The exposure to ultra fine air pollution also caused proteins to
misfold, rendering them dysfunctional.
"It is no surprise that elevations in airborne particulate matter are associated
with increased hospital admissions for respiratory symptoms including asthma
exacerbations," study leader Stephania Cormier of Louisiana State University
Health Sciences Center in New Orleans said in a statement. "What has come as a
surprise is that early exposure to elevated levels of particulate matter elicits
long-term effects on lung function and lung development in children."
The study findings were presented at the 11th International Congress on
Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects held in Research Triangle Park,
N.C.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International