Kids' Cancer and
Diesel Engine Exhaust

Kids living within one-third of a mile from bus and train stations and exposed to
high levels of diesel engine exhaust were 12 times as likely to die of cancer as
other kids, according to a British study of 22,458 children claimed by the disease.

Time Magazine, August 22, 2005

Airborne Particulates Can Mutate DNA

Particulate pollution has been shown to cause irreversible genetic mutations in mice,
raising serious concerns about its effect on people.

James Quinn's team at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, reported that mice
exposed to industrial pollution suffer genetic changes (New Scientist, 14 December 2002, p 8).
The researchers found changes in regions of "junk DNA" that are particularly susceptible to
mutation. This strongly suggests that pollution also causes a smaller number of mutations in
the rest of the genome, potentially triggering diseases, from cancers to inherited disorders in
children. The researchers could not be sure what was causing the mutations because they
simply compared animals at rural and industrial sites.

Now they have repeated the experiment, but filtered the air some mice breathed to remove
particulates. Their filter removes particles bigger than 0.1 micrometers, so it eliminates
almost all particulates, such as PM10s.

The team again found that mice at an industrial site close to steel mills passed on twice as
many mutations to their offspring. But mice that had breathed filtered air had similar mutation
rates to their country cousins, suggesting that some form of particulate pollution is causing
the mutations (Science, vol 304, p 1008).

New Scientist magazine, May 22, 2004

Health Studies Show Significant Association
Between Exposure to Fine Particles and
Premature Death

Other important effects include aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease
(as indicated by increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, absences from
school or work, and restricted activity days), lung disease, decreased lung function,
asthma attacks, and certain cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and irregular
heart beat. Individuals particularly sensitive to fine particle exposure include older adults,
people with heart and lung disease, and children.

www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm%230

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