Study finds link between long-term exposure to air pollution and emphysema

Long-term exposure to air pollution was linked to increases in emphysema between 2000 and 2018, according to a new study.

Long-term exposure to air pollution was linked to increases in emphysema. Photo: JuniperPhoton/Unsplash

Emphysema, usually associated with cigarette smoking, is a chronic disease in which lung tissue is destroyed and unable to effectively transfer oxygen in the body.

These findings may offer one explanation for why emphysema is found in some people who never smoked.

The relationship between various air pollutants and emphysema was measured through computed tomography (CT) lung imaging and lung function testing.

The combined health effect of multiple air pollutants ̶ ozone, fine particles known as PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon ̶ was greater than when the pollutants were assessed individually.

Researchers measured all major air pollutants with longitudinal increases in percent emphysema revealed by more than 15,000 CT scans acquired from 2000 to 2018. Over the same period, MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) carefully tracked air pollution.

MESA is unique in its meticulous characterization of air pollution exposures along with repeated CT scans of lungs in study participants.

Emphysema is a debilitating disease, and people with emphysema have difficulty breathing along with a persistent cough and phlegm. It makes physical and social activities difficult, creates work hardships, and may result in detrimental emotional conditions. Its development can be a slow, lifelong process. Emphysema is not curable, but treatments help manage the disease. (National Institutes of Health)

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