By Melissa Rake

Maha Goyal blows into a device used to measure the air capacity in her lungs.

Ohio Unive rsity researchers and nearly 150 elementary students are combining hard science with youthful curiosity to conduct Ohio’s first study of how pollutants affect the health of children.

Fourth- and fifth-graders from three Ohio schools — one each in urban, suburban and rural settings — are helping researchers track pollution levels near their schools by wearing backpacks containing air monitors. They also are measuring their lung capacity daily to see if pollution affects their respiratory health.

Th e study, supported by a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, was prompted by new federal standards that tighten the requirements on emissions of fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone. Ohio University is one of several institutions throughout the nation conducting studies on emission levels under the new standards, which go into effect in 2003.

The project is important because Columbus — as well as other urban areas such as Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo — probably wo n’t meet the new standards, said Kevin Crist, assistant professor of health sciences and head of the study.

“Columbus probably will be the all-American city in that it met the old standards but it probably won’t meet the new ones,” Crist said. “Through this study, we’ll get some strong scientific data about emission levels and begin to understand the health implications of these emissions.”

In December, Crist and his team of graduate students installed $60,000 worth of university-funded air monito ring equipment at East Elementary School in Athens and Koebel and New Albany elementary schools, both near Columbus. Students then began tracking levels of fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone.

Gabe Ebby wears a backpack that contains an air monitor.

Fine particulate matter is a complex mixture of tiny solid or liquid particles composed of chemicals, soot and dust produced by the combustion of fuel by power plants and automobiles. Fine particulates can travel deep into the lungs and have been linked to premature death, chronic bronchitis and asthma.

Ozone, a colorless gas, is a natural part of the envi-ronment formed both in the upper atmosphere and at ground level. In the upper atmosphere, chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons deplete ozone, which protects the earth from ultraviolet rays. At ground level, the problem is too much ozone. Emissions from vehic les and industry increase the formation of ground-level ozone, causing health problems and reducing crop yields.

To see if these emissions pose health problems to children, students at the three schools are charting their lung volume by blowing into peak flow meters, instruments that measure the rate at which people can exhale air from their lungs. Pollution often hinders air flow, Crist said, especially in children and senior citizens, the two groups most susceptible to pollution-related respiratory p roblems.

As students chart the data, Ohio University researchers are collecting emergency-room records from hospitals near the three schools to compare cases of respiratory problems in children to the pollution data. Once the results are analyzed, Crist plans to share the information with students, parents and teachers in the three communities.

Melissa Rake is a writer for University News Services and Periodicals.