Global goods movement and the local burden of childhood asthma in southern California.

OBJECTIVES

As part of a community-based participatory research effort, we estimated the preventable burden of childhood asthma associated with air pollution in the southern California communities of Long Beach and Riverside.

METHODS

We calculated attributable fractions for 2 air pollution reduction scenarios to include assessment of the newly recognized health effects associated with residential proximity to major roads and impact from ship emissions.

RESULTS

Approximately 1600 (9%) of all childhood asthma cases in Long Beach and 690 (6%) in Riverside were attributed to traffic proximity. Ship emissions accounted for 1400 (21%) bronchitis episodes and, in more modest proportions, health care visits for asthma. Considerably greater reductions in asthma morbidity could be obtained by reducing nitrogen dioxide and ozone concentrations to levels found in clean coastal communities.

CONCLUSIONS

Both Long Beach and Riverside have heavy automobile traffic corridors as well as truck traffic and regional pollution originating in the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, the largest in the United States. Community-based quantitative risk analyses can improve our understanding of health problems and help promote public health in transportation planning.