Genes to People to Communities: Who is Susceptible to Air Pollution?
Air pollution is not merely unaesthetic-it is associated with early death. But there are differences in susceptibility to air pollution which are important on several levels. Genetic differences that predict susceptibility can provide important lessons about mechanisms, and recent studies have implicated particularly oxidative stress. Personal characteristics, such as age and disease status can tell us about the populations at risk, and lead to better targeted interventions. Here diabetes and obesity seem important modifiers, whose prevalence in increasing. Community level differences, whether because of exposure or geographic clustering of susceptibility factors, are increasingly important, as communities at greatest risk are often disadvantaged in other ways. Dealing with these issues can be difficult, and requires collaborative efforts of multidisciplinary teams, investigators in multiple locations, and close community interactions.