Study of people exposed to air pollution shows women are more affected than men

Inhaling diesel exhaust may have more severe effects on women than men, according to new research to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Conference in Barcelona, ​​Spain

The researchers looked for changes in the blood caused by exposure to diesel exhaust

The study, presented by Dr.

The study involved 10 volunteers, 5 women and 5 men, all healthy non-smokers

Volunteers donated blood samples 24 hours after each exposure, and the researchers examined the volunteers' plasma in detail

By comparing plasma samples, the researchers found significantly different levels of 90 proteins between female and male volunteers exposed to diesel exhaust

Professor Mukherjee explained: "These are preliminary findings, but they suggest that exposure to diesel exhaust has different effects on women's bodies compared to men, which may suggest that air pollution is more dangerous for women than men

"This is important because respiratory conditions such as asthma are known to affect women and men differently, and women are more likely to have severe asthma that doesn't respond to treatment

The researchers plan to continue studying the functions of these proteins to better understand their role in differences in the immune response of women and men

Professor Zorana Andersen from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, chairs the European Respiratory Society Committee on Environment and Health, but was not involved in the study

"We also need to understand how and why air pollution contributes to poor health