According to a study just released, early exposure to diesel fuel increases a child's risk of developing asthma. The study tracked children's primary address to determine their level of exposure. This is yet another study linking environmental factors in early life to the development in asthma, both in childhood and adulthood.
For several years of my childhood, I lived in a neighborhood just off a main road, and a couple of blocks from a major roadway into the city where I grew up, blocks away from major industrial areas and other sources of pollution. From an early age I noticed a sensitivity to diesel fumes. I remember it made me feel extremely nauseous, and I would gag until it went away. The worst was living in a city and being stuck in traffic behind a bunch of semi-trucks! Now that I'm an adult, and in charge of the car, I tend to keep my air conditioning on "recirculate" so this doesn't happen anymore.
I find all of these environmental links to asthma to be incredibly interesting. It seems like more evidence comes out every day. Hopefully scientists will continue to study early risk factors for asthma so we can prevent it in future generations of children.
Please see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130923114152.htm for the full story.
