Indoor Air Quality,Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Asthma: A Case Control Study of Asthma in a Community Population

Abstract

In recent decades the prevalence of asthma has been increasing in Western countries. Altered environment and lifestyle conditions have been implicated but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The Indoor Pollutants, Endotoxin, Allergens, Damp and Asthma (IPEADAM) study is a cross-sectional, case control study designed to analyse the home environments of 200 children in Manchester. In this paper the home concentrations and relationships to asthma development have been examined for a variety of indoor agents including environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and damp, which have been reported as potential factors in the development or the exacerbation of asthma.

Levels of respirable particles and tobacco specific particles were found to be significantly higher in the homes with smokers present, but there were no differences in the levels of NO₂, formaldehyde or VOCs. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of tobacco related pollutants in the homes of children with and without asthma. Similarly there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of NO₂, formaldehyde, VOCs, temperature or relative humidity between the homes of children with and without asthma.

This study has demonstrated that few differences exist between the home environments of English children, between 4-16 years of age, with asthma and those without the disease. The parameters examined in this study are unlikely to be related to the development of asthma. Avoidance of these pollutants may not be beneficial in preventing the development of asthma in this age group.

Keywords

Indoor air quality Environmental tobacco smoke Asthma Homes Case control

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