Respiratory Health among Korean Pupils in Relation to Home, School and Outdoor Environment

Abstract

There are few studies about school-environment in relation to pupils' respiratory health, and Korean school-environment has not been characterized. All pupils in 4th grade in 12 selected schools in three urban cities in Korea received a questionnaire (n = 2,453), 96% participated. Gaseous pollutants and ultrafine particles (UFPs) were measured indoors (n = 34) and outdoors (n = 12) during winter, 2004. Indoor dampness at home was investigated by the questionnaire. To evaluate associations between respiratory health and environment, multiple logistic- and multi-level regression models were applied adjusting for potential confounders. The mean age of pupils was 10 yr and 49% were boys. No school had mechanical ventilation and CO2-levels exceeded 1,000 ppm in all except one of the classrooms. The indoor mean concentrations of SO2, NO2, O3 and formaldehyde were 0.6 µg/m3, 19 µg/m3, 8 µg/m3 and 28 µg/m3, respectively. The average level of UFPs was 18,230 pt/cm3 in the classrooms and 16,480 pt/cm3 outdoors. There were positive associations between wheeze and outdoor NO2, and between current asthma and outdoor UFPs. With dampness at home, pupils had more wheeze. In conclusion, outdoor UFPs and even low levels of NO2 may adversely contribute to respiratory health in children. High CO2-levels in classrooms and indoor dampness/mold at home should be reduced.

Children’s Indoor Exposures to (Ultra)Fine Particles in an Urban Area: Comparison Between School and Home Environments

“…Overall, levels of (ultra)fine particles at the two Portuguese preschools were similar in range to those reported for indoor air of schools in Greece (2.4 × 10 4 particles/cm 3 ; Diapouli et al, 2008), Italy (1.95-2.04 × 10 4 particles/cm 3 ; Buonanno et al, , 2013a, Spain (1.56 × 10 4 particles/cm 3 ; Reche et al, 2014;Rivas et al, 2014), South Korea (1.82 × 10 4 particles/cm 3 ; Kim et al, 2011), and Australia (1.21-1.69 × 10 4 particles/cm 3 ; Rumchev et al, 2007). In addition, a large ongoing epidemiological study of UFP in schools was conducted in Melbourne (Australia) .…”

Exposure of Children to Ultrafine Particles in Primary Schools in Portugal

“…In contrast, studies on UFP in 39 primary schools in Spain Rivas et al, 2014), 7 primary schools in Greece (Diapouli et al, 2007), and 2 primary schools in Italy (Buonanno et al, 2013b) reported 1.2-to 3.5-fold higher values of UFP. Similarly, studies from other non-European countries such as in California (Mullen et al, 2011), Australia (Morawska et al, 2009), and South Korea (Kim et al, 2011) noted considerably higher levels of UFP than the findings obtained in the cur-rent investigation. These differences may be associated with seasonal influences, meteorological conditions, or specific characteristics of the environment where schools are located, such as level of development, urbanization, and traffic (World Health Organization [WHO] 2006).…”

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

“…(Kim et al, 2005;Kim et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2011;Mi et al, 2006). The questionnaire was given to the selected students by the class teachers and answered at home together with the parents.…”