Pollution from thousands of diesel trucks rolling through Cincinnati could be triggering or aggravating allergies and asthma in children who live near highways.

        That is the theory. Beginning in January, the University of Cincinnati will launch a five-year study to measure whether that is true.

        A massive study into the health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust is being funded with a $7.2 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. It is expected to have national implications for public health and could influence regulation of truck pollution.

        The project involves setting up 18 air-monitoring stations along area highways while tracking allergies and asthma in about 800 Tristate families - half who live close to highways, and half who do not.

        The study is set to run through 2006, but some data — including the region's first comprehensive measure of diesel pollution — will come out in about 18 months, said Dr. Grace LeMasters, lead researcher for the project.

        “It's a very important study for this community and for the nation,” Dr. LeMasters said.

        “Air pollution in general is a major problem in this region. These findings also would apply to people living near any highway.”

        Cincinnati has struggled for years to improve air quality. Factories have reduced toxic releases and cars must go through unpopular E-Check tests.

        However, more people are spending more time than ever in their cars. Demand for electricity is rising even as some area power plants still lack modern pollution control devices. And pollution from diesel exhaust remains far less regulated than fumes from gasoline engines.

        Medical experts have long believed that air pollution is a factor in Cincinnati's high rates of hospital admissions for asthma attacks and emphysema. An Ohio Environmental Council study released in 2000 reported that Cincinnati's hospital admission rates for respiratory illness were higher than in larger cities such as Boston or New York.

        According to UC, an estimated 36,000 to 48,000 trucks pass through Cincinnati every day on Interstates 75, 71 and 74. They expel fine soot into the air, which experts call particulate matter.

        In theory, the smallest particles — those measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter — can be breathed deeply into the lungs. Bigger particles usually get trapped by nasal hairs and mucus before reaching the lungs.

        The diesel particles themselves irritate the airways. More importantly, however, they provide anchors for pollen, molds and other allergy-causing substances to be carried deep into the lungs.

        “In animals, the literature is very clear that diesel exhaust can act as an agent that can make them more sensitive to allergens in the air,” Dr. LeMasters said. “But I'm not aware of any large-scale human studies that have really focused on diesel.”

        The UC study will attempt to put numbers on this theory by tracking young children who live along I-75, I-71, I-74, I-275, the Norwood Lateral and the Ronald Reagan Highway.

        Families can participate if they have a child who is under six months old when entering the study.

        Half the study group will involve families living within 400 meters (1,320 feet) of a highway. The other half will involve families living at least 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away from a highway.

        The distances were selected because past studies indicate that the vast majority of diesel particulate matter falls back to the ground within about 600 meters (1,970 feet), said Dr. LeMasters.

        The study will compare data on diesel exhaust collected from the 18 air monitors to health data and housing condition information collected from the families.

        Initial medical information must be collected before the child reaches six months old. Then, children will receive annual allergy and asthma testing.

        The UC study will go beyond the air monitoring that the county has been doing for years.

        Hamilton County already tracks ozone, mold and pollen counts. Officials also have been able to measure particulate matter, but they haven't been able to trace such particles to their source — until now.

        And it hasn't been able to measure diesel exhaust — until now.

        Starting in late November, new equipment purchased with U.S. EPA money will allow the county to begin breaking down the sources of particulate matter.

        To participate in the diesel study, some families will be contacted directly by UC researchers using birth certificate data and mapping software. But the project also will consider families who contact UC to volunteer. For more information, call 558-0229.

Auto dealer accused in lease scheme
Shoppers hit the malls early
Breathing distress studied
Dr. Aaron Weinstein, teacher, dead at 75
He fought from Midway to Iwo Jima
Locals to assist Graham revival
Priorities change this season
Tristate A.M. Report
UC's faculty talks show hope
Wanted in killing, man eludes police
MCNUTT: Warren County
SAMPLES: Chaotic lives
THOMPSON: Faith matters
Police watch mosque
Hotel loses historic status
School alerted about disease
Fight brews over authority
Kentucky News Briefs
New policy bans racial profiling
Newport's annual tour adds history
Used-car buyers may see refund