Researchers have found that the development of asthma is linked to prenatal and postnatal exposure to airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5).
The findings were presented in a paper published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology coauthored by several researchers, including China Medical University Hospital professor Hwang Bing-fang (黃彬芳), National Taiwan University assistant professor Chen Wei-ting (陳維婷) and Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office professor Jung Chao-ren (鍾朝仁).
The researchers used a cohort study from the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database that followed 184,604 children born between 2004 and 2011 in Taichung until 2014.
Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei Times
Previous medical research has concluded that exposure to an environment rich in PM2.5 can trigger an asthma attack or an acute deterioration of the condition, Hwang said.
As more than 300 million people worldwide have asthma — a source of great strain on public health programs and nations’ economies — prevention of the disease has been receiving growing attention and funding in academia, he said.
The researchers said that they used a daily satellite image-based hybrid model to estimate PM2.5 exposure in the Taichung region from 2004 to 2011, citing a collaboration between Harvard University and NASA that found PM2.5 levels could be measured through such imagery.
The cohort study identified 34,336 children with asthma, who were diagnosed with the disease at a mean age of 1.78 to 3.39 years old, Hwang said.
Children exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 during gestational weeks six to 22 and nine to 46 weeks after birth had a significant association with an increased incidence of asthma, he said.
“The exposure-response relationship indicated that the hazard ratio of asthma increased steeply at PM2.5 exposure of greater than 93 micrograms per cubic meter during pregnancy,” paper’s abstract says.
Postnatal exposure to PM2.5 concentrations of 26 to 72 micrograms per cubic meter are also significant, the researchers said, adding that exposure to PM2.5 concentrations of more than 73 micrograms per cubic meter caused a sharp spike in the hazard ratio of asthma.
They concluded that vulnerable periods could include the periods of early gestation, mid-gestation and infancy.
Pregnant women and infants should avoid going outside during peak PM2.5 density periods to reduce the risk of children developing asthma, Hwang said.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
INTERCEPTION: The 30km test ceiling shows that the CSIST is capable of producing missiles that could stop inbound missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere Recent missile tests by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) show that Taiwan’s missiles are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere and pose a significant deterrent to Chinese missile threats, former Hsiung Feng III missile development project chief engineer Chang Cheng (張誠) said yesterday. The military-affiliated institute has been conducting missile tests, believed to be related to Project Chiang Kung (強弓) at Pingtung County’s Jiupeng Military Base, with many tests deviating from past practices of setting restriction zones at “unlimited” and instead clearly stating a 30.48km range, Chang said. “Unlimited” restrictions zones for missile tests is
PUBLIC SAFETY: The nationwide distribution campaign aims to enhance society’s overall understanding of threats and bolster defense awareness, an official said The latest edition of the National Public Safety Guide is being mailed to all citizens starting today to foster public awareness of self-defense in the event of war or natural disasters, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. “The guides will be disseminated to the public to enhance society’s overall understanding of threats and bolster defense awareness, demonstrating the government’s emphasis on people’s safety and its determination to pursue self-defense,” All-out Defense Mobilization Agency Director Shen Wei-chih (沈威志) said at the ministry’s news conference. The nationwide distribution campaign was planned according to President Lai William’s (賴清德) Sept. 20 directive, he said, adding
RSS