PVC - as flooring material - and its association with incident asthma in a Swedish child cohort study

Abstract

These longitudinal data from the DBH study found an association between the presence of PVC-flooring in the home and incident asthma in children. However, earlier results from the DBH study have shown that PVC-flooring is one important source for phthalates in indoor dust, and exposure to such phthalates was found to be associated with asthma and allergy among children. This emphasizes the need for prospective studies that focus on the importance of prenatal and neonatal exposure to phthalates in the development of asthma and allergy in children.

Exposure to phthalates: Reproductive outcome and children health. A review of epidemiological studies

“…The results from the presented studies suggest that there are strong and rather consistent indications that phthalates impact thyroid function [64] and occurrence of allergy and asthma [23,24,27,[76][77][78]. Low-molecular-weight phthalate monoester metabolites had a positive association with gestational age and with head circumference [18].…”

“…Exposure assessment was based on parental reporting of PVC flooring in sleeping rooms. PVC-flooring in the child's bedroom and in the parents' bedroom was associated with doctor diagnosed asthma in analysis adjusted for smoking in family, age, sex, allergy in family, single-parenthood, multifamily house [78]. Based on results presented above, there seems to be possible association between exposure to phthalates (DEHP, and BBzP ) and the occurrence of asthma symptoms and allergy.…”

“…A dose-response relationship between concentrations of DEHP and increasing prevalence of wheezing in the following 12 months (p = 0.035) as reported by parents was found [24]. The most current cohort study was performed in Sweden to examine the association between exposure to PVC flooring in the child's and parent's bedroom in homes of children aged 1-3 and the incidence of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema during the following 5-year period [78]. Exposure assessment was based on parental reporting of PVC flooring in sleeping rooms.…”

“…Phthalates also have infuence on lower gestational age [25], reproductive hormones (luteinizing hormone -LH), free testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) [38] and anogenital distance [8,43,45]. Results of few studies on semen quality demonstrate associations between characteristics were used to evaluate the phthalate exposure [27,[76][77][78]. A validation of the questionnaire used in those studies has been reported earlier [90], where parental reports on building characteristics were compared with observations of professional inspectors.…”

“…Furthermore, two case-control prevalence studies from Sweden and Bulgaria reported an association between the concentration of DEHP in indoor dust and asthma⁄wheezing in children [23,24]. Finally, in a cohort study in Sweden, parental reported PVC flooring in the child's as well as in the parent's bedroom when children were 1-3 years of age was associated with incident asthma 5 years later [78] (Table 7). In Finland, in population-based cross-sectional study involving 2568 Finnish children aged 1 to 7 years, plastic wall materials in homes (reported by parents) were significantly associated to airway symptoms: wheezing, cough, phlegm, asthma, pneumonia in adjusted analysis [76].…”