People over 50 in Ireland who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to have asthma, according to a new study. Those living in areas with higher NO2 concentrations had significantly higher rates of asthma. Two methods of identifying those with asthma were used, giving similar results: participants were asked whether they had ever had a diagnosis of asthma and if they were using any asthma medications, such as inhalers. Living in an area with higher NO2 concentrations was found to be associated with an increased probability of asthma. Prof Margaret O'Mahony from TCD said: "The results demonstrate the importance of research on the health impacts of air pollution and we would recommend more investment in both health and air pollution data collection to improve our knowledge of these effects."

Source: Irish Independent June 16, 2020 01:30 UTC