Living Near a Freeway Restricts Lung Development in Children

Cross-sectional evidence suggests that exposure to traffic is associated with adverse respiratory effects in children. In this study, investigators enrolled 3677 fourth-grade children in 12 southern California communities and determined the distance from each child’s home to the nearest freeway. For 8 years, each student underwent annual pulmonary function studies, and each student’s family completed an annual questionnaire on possible confounding variables.

Compared with children living farther than 1500 meters from a freeway, children living within 500 meters had significantly reduced growth in FEV₁ and maximum midexpiratory flow rate during 8 years of follow-up. Adjustment for socioeconomic status strengthened the association between free…