Home indoor pollutant exposures among inner-city children with and without asthma

BACKGROUND: Evidence for environmental causes of asthma is limited, especially among African Americans. To look for systematic differences in early life domestic exposures between inner-city preschool children with and without asthma, we performed a study of home indoor air pollutants and allergens. METHODS: Children 2-6 years of age were enrolled in a cohort study in East Baltimore, Maryland. From the child's bedroom, air was monitored for 3 days for particulate matter [less than or equal to] 2.5 and [less than or equal to] 10 [micro]m in aerodynamic diameter ([PM.sub.25], [PM.sub.10]), nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. Median baseline values were compared for children with (n = 150) and without (n = 150) asthma. Housing characteristics related to indoor air pollution were assessed by caregiver report and home inspection. In addition, indoor allergen levels were measured in settled dust. RESULTS: Children were 58% male, 91% African American, and 88% with public health insurance. Housing characteristics related to pollutant exposure and bedroom air pollutant concentrations did not differ significantly between asthmatic and control subjects [median: [PM.sub.25], 28.7 vs. 28.5 [micro]g/[m.sup.3]; [PM.sub.10], 43.6 vs. 41.4 [micro]g/[m.sup.3]; [NO.sub.2], 21.6 vs. 20.9 ppb; [O.sub.3], 1.4 vs. 1.8 ppb; all p > 0.05]. Settled dust allergen levels (cat, dust mite, cockroach, dog, and mouse) were also similar in bedrooms of asthmatic and control children. CONCLUSIONS: Exposures to common home indoor pollutants and allergens are similar for inner-city preschool children with and without asthma. Although these exposures may exacerbate existing asthma, this study does not support a causative role of these factors for risk of developing childhood asthma. KEY WORDS: African American, air pollution, allergens, asthma, particulate matter, pediatric, urban. Environ Health Perspect 115:1665-1669 (2007). doi:10.1289/ehp.10088 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 27 July 2007]
Asthma is common among children in the United States, especially those who are racial/ethnic minorities living in inner cities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004). Although definitive causes of [...]