Asthma: traffic pollution is blamed for one in eight new cases in children

Air pollution from traffic is responsible for four million new cases of childhood asthma worldwide every year, says a study that links local measures of air pollution to incidence rates of the disease.1

On average around one in eight new cases of the disease in children is attributable to traffic pollution, but in Shanghai, one of the worst affected cities, the proportion rises to nearly half. Of the 10 areas with the highest numbers of cases attributable to traffic pollution, eight are in China; the other two are Moscow and Seoul.

London ranks lower down the list, in 35th place, with 29% of new cases …