Proximity to Traffic: Inflammation, and Immune Function among Women in the Seattle, Washington, Area

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives Vol. 117; no. 3; pp. 373 - 378
• Main Authors: Williams, Lori A., Ulrich, Cornelia M., Larson, Timothy, Wener, Mark H., Wood, Brent, Campbell, Peter T., Potter, John D., McTiernan, Anne, De Roos, Anneclaire J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Institutes of Health. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 01-03-2009; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air pollution; Amyloid; Assaying; Automotive exhaust emissions; Bioindicators; Biological effects; Biological transport; Body mass index; Body weight; C-reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cellular; Census; City traffic; Combustion products; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cytotoxicity; Demography; Environmental aspects; Female; Females; Freeways; Geographic Information Systems; Health; Health aspects; Humans; Immune response; Immune status; immune system; Immunity; Immunity (cell-mediated); Immunity, Cellular - drug effects; Inflammation; Inflammation - chemically induced; Interleukin 6; Interleukin-6 - analysis; intervention; Interviews as Topic; Killer Cells, Natural - drug effects; Land use; Linear Models; Lymphocyte proliferation; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Markers; Middle Aged; Motor vehicle traffic; Natural killer cells; Obesity; Physical training; Physiological aspects; Policies; Post-menopause; Postmenopause; Proximity; Remote sensing; Residential; Roads; Satellite navigation systems; Serum Amyloid A Protein - analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; Traffic; Traffic engineering; Traffic estimation; Traffic flow; Truck routes; Trucks; Vehicle Emissions - toxicity; Washington; Wood; Washington; United States; INE, USA, Washington, Seattle; C-reactive protein; inflammation; immune function; air pollution; natural killer cell; cytotoxicity; lymphocyte proliferation; traffic
• ISSN: 0091-6765; 1552-9924
• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.11580

Background: Traffic-related air pollution has been associated with adverse health outcomes, and the immune system may be a biologic mediator of health effects. Objectives: We analyzed associations between living near major roads and immune status as measured by five immune assays. We hypothesized that living near a freeway, arterial, or truck route would be associated with increased inflammation and decreased immune function. Methods: We used a geographic information system (GIS) to determine residential proximity to major roads among 115 postmenopausal, overweight women in the greater Seattle, Washington (USA), area whose immunity was assessed at the baseline visit of an exercise intervention trial. We evaluated three inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and interleukin-6) and two functional assays of cellular immunity [natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and T-lymphocyte proliferation]. Results: Women living within 150 m of arterial roads had 21% lower NK cytotoxicity compared with women who lived farther from an arterial [mean cytotoxicity, 19.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 15.6-23.5%; vs. mean cytotoxicity, 24.8%; 95% CI, 22.0-27.5%], after adjustment for both individual-level and census tract-level demographic characteristics. This association was limited to women who reported exercising near traffic. Fewer women lived near freeways and truck routes. Markers of inflammation and lymphocyte proliferation did not consistently differ according to proximity to major roads. Conclusions: If the observed association between residential proximity to traffic and decreased NK cytotoxicity is confirmed in other populations, our results may have implications for local land use policy.