Building characteristics, indoor air quality and recurrent wheezing in very young children (BAMSE)

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the impact of building characteristics and indoor air quality on recurrent wheezing in infants. We followed a birth cohort (BAMSE) comprising 4089 children, born in predefined areas of Stockholm, during their first 2 years of life. Information on exposures was obtained from parental questionnaires when the children were 2 months and on symptoms and diseases when the children were 1 and 2 years old. Children with recurrent wheezing, and two age-matched controls per case, were identified and enrolled in a nested case-control study. The homes were investigated and ventilation rate, humidity, temperature and NO2 measured. We found that living in an apartment erected after 1939, or in a private home with crawl space/concrete slab foundation were associated with an increased risk of recurrent wheezing, odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (1.3-4.8) and 2.5 (1.1-5.4), respectively. The same was true for living in homes with absolute indoor humidity >5.8 g/kg, OR 1.7 (1.0-2.9) and in homes where windowpane condensation was consistently reported over several years, OR 2.2 (1.1-4.5). However, air change rate and type of ventilation system did not seem to affect the risk. In conclusion, relatively new apartment buildings, single-family homes with crawl space/concrete slab foundation, elevated indoor humidity, and reported wintertime windowpane condensation were associated with recurrent wheezing in infants. Thus, improvements of the building quality may have potential to prevent infant wheezing.

Dampness in dwellings and its associations with asthma and allergies among children in Chongqing: A cross-sectional study

“…A "mouldy odor" was a significant risk factor for all asthma and allergic symptoms among children in Chongqing, consistent with some cohort studies [28,30]. "Condensation on window panes" was significantly associated with cough at night and rhinitis, consistent with the findings of a case-control study in Stockholm [44]. In Sweden, for doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergies, the significant risk dampness indices were floor moisture, damp stains and condensation [13].…”

Are Building-Level Characteristics Associated with Indoor Allergens in the Household?

“…3,16,21,22,[24][25][26][42][43][44][45][46][47] An emerging literature does suggest that indoor allergens associated with asthma are related to the buildings in which people live. 10,11,[48][49][50][51][52] Considerable literature firmly establishes that the presence of cockroaches and rodents (i.e., pests) is associated with higher levels of asthma morbidity. 5,10,24,51,[53][54][55][56][57] Likewise, recent literature has highlighted the relationship between asthma morbidity and building types such as public housing; 54,58 mixed-use buildings, i.e., property containing both residential and commercial space; [59][60][61] and building size.…”

“…[9][10][11]62,63 Lastly, indoor allergens and asthma morbidity have also been linked to building conditions; in particular older buildings and building violations in or near the residential building have been associated. 8,10,48,49,51,52 However, little explicit examination by building type and condition has occurred, especially in the USA.…”

“…In addition, odor, heating, and ventilation systems could be assessed, as suggested by previous studies. 4,48,49,52 Furthermore, a well-powered future study might statistically account for the fundamental multilevel nature of this work, examining participants, buildings, neighborhoods, and regional issues. 49,88 Altogether, substantial further research remains to be done, but this study, and the work that precedes it, demonstrated that the association between building characteristics and asthma morbidity merits attention.…”

Meteorological conditions and the diagnosis of occupationally related contact sensitizations

“…However, it would probably not be feasible to ascertain exposure on an individual level. Nevertheless, several factors redeem the use of the outdoor meteorological measurements, (i) air conditioning was not very common in Austria and Germany during the study period, (ii) indoor absolute humidity is thus correlated with outdoor values even in winter (19), and (iii) there is evidence that skin locations typically covered with clothing (at least in winter) are nevertheless susceptible to temperature, humidity, and seasonal variation (12). Ultraviolet exposure, which could potentially have suppressed patch-test reactions, was not thought to have greatly influenced the results, as testing patients with recent ultraviolet exposure goes against international patch-testing guidelines (5) and a thorough Belgian study found no evidence of a correlation between ultraviolet intensity prior to patch testing and subsequent reactions (20).…”