Recent studies suggest that antioxidants could decrease lung damage from toxins caused by ozone pollution.

The research was conducted by scientists from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The findings were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a journal of the American Thoracic Society.

Ozone (O3) is a blue colored toxic gas that is heavier than air and has a distinct odor. Ozone is poisonous to plants, animals and humans, and is well-known to irritate respiratory conditions. Studies have shown that high levels of ozone can cause deaths from respiratory disease.

The research team tested their theory on a group of thirty-two nonsmoking adults, aged 18-35. The subjects ate a diet devoid of antioxidants for a three week period and were exposed to purified and filtered air for a week. After the week, their lungs were tested to determine lung health.

For the remaining two weeks, the test subjects were exposed to ozone gas for two hours, while exercising moderately. Half of the group was given a placebo and half was given antioxidant supplements, while all were given a Bronchoalveolar lavage at the end of the studies.

A bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a procedure in which a bronchoscope is passed into the lungs to squirt fluid into a small part of the lung. Once the fluid has been injected, it is then recollected for examination. BAL is normally used to detect infections in people with immune system health issues, pneumonia, some types of lung cancer, and interstitial lung disease, which is scarring of the lung.

The testing concluded that the subjects who took supplements had higher levels of the vitamins C, E and A, compared to the placebo group. These vitamins were found to be significantly higher, almost eighty-five percent higher in vitamin C alone.

The same subjects improved their second lung tests results, one by twenty-four percent and one by thirty percent. Researchers feel that these findings prove that eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants can improve lung functioning, even when ozone damage is already present.

Experts and environmentalists have remarked that the study and the role of vitamins and antioxidants in the study is very inconsequential in addressing the subject of ozone pollution. They remain convinced that the best way to combat ozone pollution is to address the issue on a much bigger scale, as a whole. However, the remarkable aspect of the study is the link that may have been provided between vitamins, antioxidants, and lung health.