Traffic pollution related to asthma

August 5, 2009 Researchers looked at the connection between traffic-related pollution and "new-onset" asthma among 2,700 Swiss adults. None of them had ever smoked, but over 11 years, 41 of them developed asthma.

The scientists looked into a series of factors linked to the development of asthma, such as workplace air pollutants, family history, and secondhand smoke. They learned that spending time outdoors played a role in causing asthma.

The report appears in the journal Thorax.