Helen Wood

I joined the Lung Biology group within the Environmental Research Group in June 2009.  I co-ordinate the London Low Emission Zone Study, a four-year study designed to assess the  impact of the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) on the respiratory health of school children in East London.

The LEZ was introduced in February 2008 with the aim of improving air quality in the city by  deterring the most polluting vehicles from driving in the area. The study involves conducting health  assessments in 8-9 year-old children at  selected schools in Tower Hamlets and Hackney; we have assessed over 800 children to date.

The health assessment includes measurements of respiratory health, biomarkers of exposure to traffic-related air pollution,  genetic susceptibility to the effects of air pollution, and systemic response to air pollution.

The health data will be linked with modelled air quality data, provided by ERG's modelling team,  to provide a comprehensive picture of the affect of traffic-related air  pollution on children’s health, and the impact of the LEZ on this.

My background is in human respiratory physiology, particularly the control of breathing and  the ventilatory response to exercise. In my previous post, at the Institute for Exercise and  Environmental Medicine in Dallas, Texas,  I studied how breathing is controlled during exercise in healthy and obese adult volunteers.

Having moved into the area of air pollution research, I hope in the future to be able to  combine this with my interest in exercise physiology.

Respiratory health, biomarkers of exposure to traffic-related air pollution,  genetic susceptibility to the effects of air pollution, and systemic response to air pollution