Allergic Responses to Air Pollution

Since we are somewhat interested in the bad effects on human health from pollutants including heavy metals, this contribution from Dr. Jim Privitera of West Covina, California is important. We learned in the past few years that there are many walking around today with mutations in the gene that controls glutathione-S transferases. This explains why an American Indian driving a truck from San Francisco to New York may accumulate at least twice as much lead on the same trip an someone else. Now this gene mutation and its resulting impairment of detoxification of particulate matter from diesel fuel is being proven to contribute to the huge increases in asthma we are seeing in this country.

This knowledge has lead one of our respected colleagues, Dr Majid Ali, Board Certified pathologist years ago to dramatically help a severely impaired non-responding asthmatic patient with just a FEW IV chelation treatments. In his professional opinion (this is over 10 years ago) the "minor" almost 'normal" in today's world levels of toxic metals seen on her hair test and a provoked specimen collected for 6 hours were GREATER THAN what was in HER BEST INTEREST for the asthmatic condition for which she had sought Dr. Ali's help!

I hope all of you learn that your knowledge of CLINICAL METAL TOXICOLOGY is relevant to every field in medicine. This is heart disease and cancer and learning disabilities and asthma and all points in-between!

Garry F. Gordon, MD,DO,MD(H)

Genetic and Environmental Factors Trigger Allergy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)

The presence of common gene mutations can increase the allergic response in sensitive patients who are exposed to diesel exhaust, investigators in California report in The Lancet.

While these findings explain why some individuals are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution, they also suggest that antioxidants, such as vitamins A, E and C, may prevent the effects that air pollution have on allergic inflammation, lead investigator Dr. Frank D. Gilliland told Reuters Health.

Gilliland of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and his colleagues examined genes that encode for glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), enzymes that metabolize reactive oxygen species and detoxify chemicals present in diesel exhaust. Mutations of these genes, which occur in up to 20 percent of the general population, are associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and asthma.

To investigate the mechanism driving the effects of air pollution on allergic responses, Gilliland's group evaluated GST genes in 19 patients who were allergic to ragweed and had a history of allergic rhinitis.

The subjects with GST mutations had significantly higher levels of nasal IgE and histamine -- markers of allergic response -- to diesel exhaust particles than to the allergen alone. In the subjects with the most GST mutations, "diesel exhaust had a huge adjuvant effect on the allergic response to allergens," increasing response up to 20 times greater than allergen exposure alone, Gilliland said.

In the past, the presence of these GST mutations would not have made much difference to human health, he explained. "But now that we have new and increasing levels of pollutants, that's at least partially what is bringing on some of the increases in allergy susceptibility."

He noted that in some populations, 50 percent to 60 percent of individuals have allergies, "and that's very different from what it was 50 or 100 years ago."

"We now have ways to identify individuals susceptible to air pollution, and, because this sensitivity seems to be regulated by genetic and dietary factors, new approaches are emerging that might help protect these individuals from ambient pollution," Drs. F. J. Kelly and Thomas Sandstrom remark in a related commentary.

Kelly is on staff at King's College in London, and Sandstrom is at University Hospital, Umea, Sweden.

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