Dust worse than traffic pollution for asthma

Particulate matter from car exhaust fumes may play less of a role in triggering asthma attacks than previously thought, according to an NSW study.

Researchers from UNSW and the University of Newcastle compared the effects of airborne dust in the Sydney region with traffic-derived particulates from the exhaust stack of the M5 motorway tunnel on airway epithelial cells culled from mice and humans.

Their research, published in the journal Respirology, found that while the ambient particles strongly stimulated the secretion of pro