INHALE pollution project. Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
INHALE: Personal pollution exposure and effects on the lungs in healthy and asthmatic individuals
IRAS ID
270153
Contact name
Kian Fan Chung
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Compliance Office, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Exposure to air pollution inside and outside the home is the largest environmental risk factor worldwide leading to a reduced life expectancy. In a study funded by the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council, we will assess the impact of pollution on personal health by developing a combined approach from examining the composition of pollutants that determine cell and tissue damage, and their effects on the lungs and on people's health. We will trace the pollution particles from inhalation into the lungs down to effects on individual cells in the body.
We will recruit 40 healthy and 40 subjects suffering from asthma who live or work in the West London area who will be monitored for their personal exposure to pollution and their response to pollutants by continuous measurement of breathing rate and flow rates with physical activities over a 2 periods of 2 weeks each over one year. They will be recording their symptoms and lung function daily. At the end of each 2 week period, we will collect sputum, urine and blood samples for measurement of inflammation, biomarkers and proteins. Nasal epithelial cells will be obtained by nasal curettage and placed in culture to analyse the effect of pollution particles. In some participants, we will perform fibreoptic bronchoscopy to obtain lower airway cells to examine their interactions with particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM0.1). The whole data will be integrated to assess particle deposition and effects outcomes on respiratory health. One focus of the analysis will be on the immediate micro-environment (~20m) around a person.
The integrated modelling will represent various intervention scenarios such as roadside green hedges or medication for asthmatics to assess reduced exposure and corresponding changes in health outcomes. This research may lead to effective interventions that could mitigate the detrimental effects of air pollution.Summary of Results
This research was performed at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London and was funded by a grant from the UK Research Innovation UKRI), a government funding agency. The leading investigator for this project were Professor Fan Chung and Professor Christopher Pain.
This project started in November 2029 and concluded in September 2023, and was prolonged by the shutdown during the COVID pandemic. The research was to determine the personal exposure to air pollution and the lung response of healthy and asthmatic individuals living in West London to their exposure to pollution. We recruited 36 healthy and 23 asthmatic individuals into the study who were assessed for 2 weeks on 2 different periods over one year, with one period in winter and another one in summer or spring.
This research was needed because there was very little information on the use of personal monitors to determine one’s personal exposure to pollution and to see whether this depended on the life style and living conditions of the individual and to find out whether there could be some clues to determine someone’s response to the pollution he/she is exposed to.
We therefore collected data related to the level of particles each individual was exposed to their breathing rates using a personal monitor attached to their belt. In addition, we administered questionnaires regarding their living style, mode of transport, housing and occupation. We measured their lung function, allergic status and in asthmatics, their degree of severity of their asthma. We also obtained a sample of their sputum to measure the degree of inflammation in the lungs and also performed a procedure of bronchoscopy that sampled their lungs to measure the degree of inflammation in the lungs.
We identified a group of individuals who were exposed at much higher levels than the rest and determined the factors associated with this increased exposure. In general, personal exposure was increased in the winter season and greater exposure was seen in those living closer to Central London.
We have examined the pollutant particles obtained from various places such as by the busy road side and deep in London Underground stations, with the finding that high levels were measurted on London Underground station platforms. We also examined the composition of the particles collected in the London Underground and found high levels of iron in these particles.
Further analysis is being performed on the samples collected from these subjects. We are also applying Artificial Intelligence methods to predict how the lungs of a particular individual will be affected by his/her pollution exposure.Further research is being pursued on the samples already collected in a collaboration with Duke University, a collaboration funded by a grant from US National Institute for Environmental and Health Science.
In summary, the main finding from this research project is that personal pollution exposure is very much dependent on the area one lives in and on one’s travel schedule and life style. The level of exposure will determine how the lungs will be affected by pollution.
Further information on INHALE can be obtained on webpage:
https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrack.pstmrk.it%2F3ts%2Fwww.imperial.ac.uk%252Fearth-science%252Fresearch%252Finhale%252Fnews%252F%2FNBTI%2FGifAAQ%2FAQ%2Fa7299775-77cf-4196-9859-8739fdfb9736%2F1%2FabjDZpzzin&data=05%7C02%7Cdulwich.rec%40hra.nhs.uk%7Cb77cfa58b206458fe4f208ddf7ca634e%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C638939170800047329%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=cEM2D2W2E2FomAGxy2AdQ80G%2BZ54jxNbblpjZs2L39M%3D&reserved=0REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1638
Date of REC Opinion
18 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion