Traffic pollution may be linked to diabetes risk

[Northerner]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who live in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution may face a slightly increased risk of developing diabetes, Danish researchers conclude in a new study.
They found that people living in urban areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant found in traffic exhaust, were four percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than people living in neighborhoods with cleaner air.
Healthier people seemed to be in greater peril from the influence of air pollution, with diabetes risk jumping by 10 percent in physically active people and 12 percent in non-smokers.

http://www.healthnews.com/en/news/T...nked-to-diabetes-risk/0gLgeliDn4KPqPX_nJsJhL/

 

[Copepod]

The wonders of small area health statistics - useful research by Danish scientists, who have wisely looked at the effects of air quality on different health outcomes. Actually, postcodes make the UK one of the easiest countries in the world (only Canada has 6 figure post codes, but they generally cover much bigger geographical areas than in UK) to study environmental effects on health. The problems are that a person doesn't always spend most of their time where they live, and their physical activity may be away from traffic hotspots - for example, football matches tent to happen away from roads, and most runners choose to do most of their running away from busy roads, although may need to link quieter / cleaner sections of routes.

Another factor to remember is that during the period since 1971, air pollution from vehicles has changed in character eg lead phased out from petrol, introduction of catalytic converters, general increase in numbers of vehicles etc.

When working in Belfast in 1998, I met an air pollution monitor, who was very "upset" that air quality in central Belfast (square around City Hall) had deteriorated, as previously, virtually no vehicles were allowed into the square for security reasons, but the peace process meant more freedom of vehicle movement. Overall, a small deterioration in air quality was a small price to pay for peace, and was balance by peace meaning North Sea gas finally came to Northern Ireland, resulting in cleaner central heating, compared to coal fires .