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A large number of studies have indicated associations between the impairment of respiratory health and exposure to ambient air pollutants such as ozone (O) , nitrogen dioxide (NO) , sulfur dioxide(SO) , particulate matters (PM10/). To evaluate this associations, we used the pulmonary function tests (peak expiratory flow rate : PEFR) by mini-wright peak flow meter and counting neutrophils in the nasal lavage (NL) as biomarker. From 15 June to 16 July 1998, for the workers in the highway tollgates, PEFR and NL were measured three times daily and twice per week. and association between the level of air pollutants and PEFR and NL were analyzed using the multiple regression model and the poisson regression model respectively. The results indicated that the effects of all measured air pollutants (SO, NO, O, PM10/) were not significantly associated with the value of PEFR. On the other side, SO, NO, PM10/ were significantly associated with the number of neutrophils in NL. The increase in SO, NOof 10ppb and in PM10/ of 10/mwas associated with 24%, 21%, 35% increases in neutrophil counts. But the ozone exposure was not associated with NL.
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