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A recent study from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne has found a significant association between early-life exposure to air pollution and the development and persistence of peanut allergies in children. The study, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, suggests that efforts to reduce air pollution could lessen the prevalence of peanut allergies in children, providing critical insights into how environmental factors may influence the immune system.
The study, involving 5,276 children from Melbourne’s HealthNuts study, tracked allergy development from infancy through age 10. Researchers measured annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at each participant's home address. They found that children exposed to higher levels of these pollutants were at greater risk for developing peanut allergies that persisted through childhood. Notably, this association did not apply to other common allergies, such as egg allergy or eczema, highlighting a unique link between air pollution and peanut allergy.
This study is among the first to employ oral food challenges, the gold standard in allergy diagnosis, to explore connections between environmental factors and persistent food allergies over an extended period. According to MCRI Associate Professor Rachel Peters, these findings support the hypothesis that increased urbanization and related pollution may be contributing to the global rise in allergies.
The findings underscore the importance of environmental policies that address air quality. "Improving city design, enhancing air quality regulations, and promoting cleaner transportation could help reduce the risk of peanut allergies in future generations," said Peters. In Australia, allergic diseases represent a significant public health concern, with food allergies affecting roughly one in ten infants. Effective air quality interventions, Peters noted, may not only curb the development of allergies but also improve broader health outcomes in children.
Eleanor Jenkin, whose daughter Mae has severe food allergies, expressed that the research has resonated deeply with her family’s experience. Living in Melbourne’s western suburbs, she sees firsthand how air pollution might influence her child’s quality of life and is hopeful that increased awareness will drive necessary change. For families managing serious food allergies, understanding these risk factors is a step towards improving life quality and potentially preventing allergies altogether.
In addition to allergy research, MCRI and the University of Melbourne are spearheading the GenV study, a large-scale health initiative tracking the effects of environmental factors, including climate change, on child health across Victoria. By examining data from over 120,000 participants, including 48,000 babies, GenV aims to reveal how factors such as heat exposure and pollution affect children’s health, potentially guiding policies to protect vulnerable populations from climate-related health risks.
These findings add to the growing body of evidence that environmental factors are significant in shaping immune responses in children. The hope is that by identifying specific pollution-linked risk factors, public health strategies can reduce the incidence of severe allergies, enabling children to live healthier, less restricted lives.