Getting to the How and Why: Are Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease More Susceptible to the Health Effects of Air Pollution Exposure?

Sack and Manicone discusss Ryu and colleagues' report of the findings from a controlled human crossover study of the short-term effects of diesel exhaust (DE) exposure in older adults with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As hypothesized, the authors found that the individuals with COPD exhibited more effects of DE exposure relative to the other participants. Although DE exposure caused an increase in circulating lymphocytes in all participants, only the participants with COPD had significant changes to BAL markers. Overall, this study highlights the importance of rigorous clinical trials in air pollution research in uncovering mechanisms of disease susceptibility. Understanding the how and why pollution affects sensitive populations can help identify novel interventions to limit toxicity and motivate regulatory action to reduce emissions.