Road tunnel air pollution induces bronchoalveolar inflammation in healthy subjects

¹ Dept of Public Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; and Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Stockholm County Council, Sweden
² Dept of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden.
³ Dept of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
⁴ Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Stockholm County Council, Sweden

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: britt-marie.larsson{at}.

	Abstract

Traffic related air pollution is associated with adverse respiratory effects.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether exposure to air pollution in a road tunnel cause airway inflammatory and blood coagulation responses. Sixteen healthy subjects underwent bronchoscopy with bronchial mucosal biopsies and BAL on two occasions, in random order; once at 14 hours after a 2 hour exposure to air pollution in a busy road tunnel, and once after a control day with subjects exposed to urban air during normal activities. Peripheral blood was sampled prior to bronchoscopies.

The road tunnel exposures included median concentrations of PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ of 64, 176 and 230 µg·m^-3, respectively. Significantly higher numbers of BAL fluid total cell number (p<0.01), lymphocytes (p<0.01) and alveolar macrophages (p<0.05) were present after road tunnel exposure vs. control. Significantly higher nuclear expression of the transcription factor component c-Jun was found in the bronchial epithelium after exposure. No upregulation of adhesion molecules or cellular infiltration were present and blood coagulation factors were unaffected.

In conclusion, exposure of healthy subjects to traffic related air pollution resulted in a lower airway inflammatory response with cell migration, together with signs of an initiated signal transduction in the bronchial epithelium.

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