UCLA Editorial on Impact of Diesel Fuel Particles in Air Pollution

ATTENTION REPORTERS AND EDITORS:UCLA experts are available for interviews about the impact of diesel fuel particles in air pollution that may contribute to an increase in asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems. The topic is featured in an editorial in the Feb. 2005 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology:

Dr. Marc Riedl, clinical instructor of clinical immunology and allergy, and David Diaz-Sanchez, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical immunology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: Riedl and Diaz-Sanchez authored the editorial and can discuss how diesel fuel particles in air pollution may help trigger an inflammatory response from the immune system in some individuals, which can lead to the development or exacerbation of respiratory problems such as asthma, allergies, cough, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Both can discuss animal and human studies that confirm the harmful biological effects of diesel particles. According to the authors, in the future, genetics may help identify individuals particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution and future treatments may be based upon boosting the body's natural antioxidant defenses against air pollution.