Environment/Climate Change
Exploring the impact of PM2.5 on lung function trends among Black adolescents in Jackson, Mississippi Nina Lee* Nina Lee Erica Walker
Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a pervasive air pollutant that can penetrate deep into the lungs and lead to adverse respiratory effects. PM2.5 poses a great concern for children, given their developing respiratory systems. Hyperlocal air monitoring enables researchers to uncover address-level health disparities. Jackson Mississippi is an understudied city with a deep-seated history of racial disparities and environmental injustices. Aim: To understand the relationship between daily PM2.5 and lung function of Black adolescents living in Jackson. Methods: 60 participants were enrolled in the Mississippi Adolescent Environmental Health Study (MAEHS), the first longitudinal study of children in Greater Jackson, examining the individual and joint impact of air, noise, water, soil quality on environmental health. 37 participants completed a survey and lung function was tested using spirometry. A representative sample of 40 week-long air quality measurements were collected across Jackson from June 2022-Dec 2023. We used the ordinary Kriging method to interpolate prediction surface maps from the average daily PM2.5 at each site. The average PM2.5 value at the home address of participants were extracted from the kriging raster using bilinear interpolation. The average FEV1/FVC ratio (Forced Expiratory Volume in one second to Forced Vital Capacity ratio) was compared for participants exposed daily to PM2.5 levels above and below the median. Results: The average FEV1/FVC ratio for adolescents experiencing daily average PM2.5 levels below the median (6.25 μg/m3) was 82.1 and 76.2 for those above the median. The average difference of 5.9 (95% CI: 0.2-11.6) is significant with a p-value of 0.04. Conclusion: Our study reveals a significant average difference in lung function among Black adolescents in Jackson exposed to daily PM2.5 levels above and below the median, emphasizing the urgency of addressing environmental disparities to safeguard health in vulnerable populations.