Indoor air pollution by polynuclear hydrocarbons from tobacco smoke

Summary An orientation study on concentration levels of PAH in a closed space was carried out with concern about ventilation and quantity of cigarettes smoked. Emission factors of PAH and their methyl derivatives in the main and side-streams of light and heavy cigarettes were determined.

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Innenluftverunreinigung durch polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAH) im tabakrauch

Zusammenfassung Eine Orientierungsstudie über die PAH-Gehalte in einem geschlossenen Raum wurde in Hinblick auf Ventilation und Anzahl gerauchter Zigaretten durchgeführt. Emissionsfaktoren der PAH und derer Methylhomologen im Haupt- und Nebenrauch wurde bei leichten und starken Zigaretten bestimmt.

     

Effect of air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke on serum hyaluronate concentrations in school children

Objectives: To evaluate serum hyaluronate concentrations relative to air pollution, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and respiratory health in Japanese school children.

Methods: Respiratory symptoms and serum IgE concentrations were examined in 1037 school children living in four communities in Japan with differing levels of air pollution. Serum hyaluronate concentrations were assayed in 230 children, consisting of all the children who had symptoms of either asthma or wheeze (65 and 50 subjects, respectively) and normal controls adjusted for sex, school grade, and school without these symptoms (115 subjects).

Results: Although serum hyaluronate concentrations did not differ for either asthma or wheeze, the concentrations were significantly higher in children living in communities with higher levels of air pollution. Children with asthma or wheeze and those with serum IgE concentrations of 250 IU/ml or above showed differences in hyaluronate concentrations that related to the degree of air pollution in the communities. In children with higher serum IgE concentrations, the hyaluronate concentrations among subjects exposed to ETS were significantly higher than among those without exposure to ETS.

Conclusions: The present results suggest that serum hyaluronate concentration is related to the degree of air pollution and exposure to ETS. Children with asthma or wheeze and children with higher IgE concentrations are considered to be more susceptible to environmental factors.

     

Indoor air pollution by smoke constituents—A survey

A review of the literature on the present state of knowledge about the topic "indoor air pollution by smoke constituents" has been made. While consideration is given to standard bibliographic works and more recent reviews, an evaluation of the results of field studies and experimental investigations carried out under realistic conditions is also made. The selection of the tobacco smoke constituents discussed here was based on environmental and toxicological aspects. The following substances are considered in detail: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, acrolein, ammonia, phenol, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, cadmium, nickel, nicotine, some volatile nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and respirable particulates. The smoke constituent concentrations in the literature are presented in tables. The results are evaluated and discussed with respect to the maximum allowable concentrations presently valid in the Federal Republic of Germany.     

Indoor air pollution caused by cigarette smoke in public places in Portugal

OBJECTIVE: There have been few studies investigating the level of cigarette smoke pollution to which people in several public and private places are exposed. The purpose of this study was to quantify the level of air pollution produced by cigarette smoking in workplaces and leisure settings. METHODS: The study was carried out in Braga, Portugal, in 2005. Nicotine content in indoor air was measured using passive monitors containing a 37-mm diameter filter inside treated with sodium bisulphate. The monitors were installed in predefined public workplaces and leisure settings. Median nicotine content was estimated for each place studied. RESULTS: Nicotine was detected in 85% of the samples. Extremely high air contamination levels were found in discos with a median of 82.26 microg/m3, ranging between 5.79 and 106.31 microg/m3. Workplaces of public administration and university buildings showed the lowest nicotine content. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings confirm the need to promote the implementation of smoke-free policies in workplaces and leisure settings to protect workers' health and as a reinforcing measure of an environment which facilitates smokers to quit smoking.     

Indoor air pollution and pulmonary function growth in preadolescent children

Results are reported from a study of the association between exposure to sidestream cigarette smoke or gas stove emissions and pulmonary function level and growth rate of 7,834 children seen at 2-5 annual visits between the ages of 6-10 years. Children whose mothers smoked one pack of cigarettes per day had levels of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at age eight that were 0.81% lower than children of nonsmoking mothers (p less than 0.0001), and FEV1 growth rates approximately 0.17% per year lower (p = 0.05). For a child of age eight with an FEV1 of 1.62 liters, this corresponds to a deficit in rate of change of FEV1 of approximately 3 ml/annum and a deficit of 13 ml at age eight. Children whose mothers smoked one pack per day had levels of forced vital capacity (FVC) at age eight that were 0.33% higher than children of nonsmokers (p = 0.12); however, their growth rates of FVC were 0.17% per year lower (p = 0.04). Because few mothers changed their smoking habits during the course of the study, it was not possible to determine whether the difference in rate of growth was due to current exposure or to an effect of prenatal and early childhood exposure on the course of development. The magnitude of the effect on FEV1 is consistent with deficits in FEV1 of up to 3% in early adult life due to childhood exposure to sidestream cigarette smoke. The importance of this relatively small effect will be evaluated further through follow-up of these children as they are exposed to other risk factors such as personal active smoking. The data provide some evidence for an association between gas stove exposure and pulmonary function level, especially at younger ages, but no evidence for an effect of gas stove exposure on growth rate.     

Indoor air pollution exposure and lower respiratory infections in young Gambian children

In a rural population-based cohort study of approximately 500 Gambian children under five years old followed for one year, incidence of acute lower respiratory infections (ALR) was related to various risk factors including parental smoking and regular carriage on the mother's back while cooking, a proxy measure for exposure to smoke from cooking fires. Two statistical analyses using a 'child-weeks at risk' approach were carried out, including and excluding multiple disease episodes in the same child. Weekly surveillance for ALRI found 75 episodes in 62 children. Stratified analyses using both approaches suggested father's smoking, and, for girls only, carriage on the mother's back while cooking and being part of a polygamous family were the main risk factors associated with infection: when multiple episodes occurring in the same child were excluded, not having a health card was an additional risk factor in children over a year old. Multiple logistic regression modelling of data from both approaches, including each of these risk factors and sex, age, village and season, suggested father's smoking, carriage on the mother's back while cooking and being part of a polygamous family increase risk of ALRI, the latter two for girls only. The analysis excluding multiple episodes in the same child also suggested that not having a health card is a risk factor for children aged 1-5 years. The difficulties in interpreting these findings are discussed.     

我国室内空气污染

20世纪中期 ,人们已认识到室内空气污染有时比室外更严重。近 2 0多年来 ,室内空气质量的卫生问题已经成为国内外学者极为关注的环境卫生问题之一。因为室内环境是人们接触最密切的外环境之一 ;室内污染物的来源和种类越来越多。随着经济、生活和生产水平的不断提高 ,室内使用的化学品和建筑材料等的种类和数量比以往明显增多 ;建筑物密闭程度增加 ,使室内污染物不易排出 ,室外新鲜空气也不能正常进入 ,增加了室内人群与污染物的接触机会。1　室内污染物的主要来源和种类1.1　燃料燃烧煤、煤气、液化石油气、天然气等燃烧时会排出颗粒物、一…     

Indoor air pollution in developing countries

Of the four principal categories of indoor pollution (combustion products, chemicals, radon and biologicals), research in developing countries has focused on combustion-generated pollutants, and principally those from solid-fuel-fired cooking and heating stoves. Such stoves are used in more than half the world's households and have been shown in many locations to produce high indoor concentrations of particulates, carbon monoxide and other combustion-related pollutants. Although the proportion of all such household stoves that are used in poorly ventilated situations is uncertain, the total population exposed to excessive concentrations is potentially high, probably several hundred million. A number of studies were carried out in the 1980s to discover the health effects of such stove exposures. The majority of such studies were done in South Asia in homes burning biomass fuels or in China with coal-burning homes, although a sprinkling of studies examining biomass-burning have been done in Oceania, Latin America and Africa. Of the health effects that might be expected from such exposures, little, if any, work seems to have been done on low birthweight and eye problems, although there are anecdotal accounts making the connection. Decreased lung function has been noted in Nepali women reporting more time spent near the stove as it has for Chinese women using coal stoves as compared to those using gas stoves. Respiratory distress symptoms have been associated with use of smoky fuels in West India, Ladakh and in several Chinese studies among different age groups, some with large population samples. Acute respiratory infection in children, one of the chief causes of infant and childhood mortality, has been associated with Nepali household-smoke exposures. Studies of chronic disease endpoints are difficult because of the need to construct exposure histories over long periods. Nevertheless, chronic obstructive lung disease has been associated with the daily time spent near the stove for Nepali women and found to be elevated among coal-stove users compared to gas-stove users in Shanghai. In contrast to early reports, there seems to be little or no risk of nasopharyngeal cancer from cookstove smoke. Several studies in China, however, have found smoke to be a strong risk factor for lung cancer among non-smoking women. In addition, severe fluorosis has been observed in several parts of China where coal fluoride levels are high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

How exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollutants, and increased pollen burdens influences the incidence of asthma

Asthma is a multifactorial airway disease that arises from a relatively common genetic background interphased with exposures to allergens and airborne irritants. The rapid rise in asthma over the past three decades in Western societies has been attributed to numerous diverse factors, including increased awareness of the disease, altered lifestyle and activity patterns, and ill-defined changes in environmental exposures. It is well accepted that persons with asthma are more sensitive than persons without asthma to air pollutants such as cigarette smoke, traffic emissions, and photochemical smog components. It has also been demonstrated that exposure to a mix of allergens and irritants can at times promote the development phase (induction) of the disease. Experimental evidence suggests that complex organic molecules from diesel exhaust may act as allergic adjuvants through the production of oxidative stress in airway cells. It also seems that climate change is increasing the abundance of aeroallergens such as pollen, which may result in greater incidence or severity of allergic diseases. In this review we illustrate how environmental tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollution, and climate change may act as environmental risk factors for the development of asthma and provide mechanistic explanations for how some of these effects can occur.     

Indoor climate, air pollution, and human comfort.

The term sick building syndrome (SBS) is frequently used to describe a set of symptoms often reported by occupants of certain buildings. The symptoms are supposed to be direct or indirect consequences of an inadequate indoor climate. Typically, a majority of the occupants in these buildings complain, and the most frequent complaint is irritation of eyes, nose, and throat. Many different factors are known to be potential agents for the symptoms and no definitive causality has been identified yet. In consequence authors of publications on indoor air quality have been using the SBS term in different ways. A review of literature indicates that in supposed "sick buildings" only the prevalence of irritation of mucosal membranes and headaches seems to differ significantly from the prevalence in buildings considered to have a normal indoor climate. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are known to have a potency to cause symptoms like those included in SBS. A dose-response relation for sensory reactions and mucosal irritation caused by volatile organic air pollutants is discussed, and a tentative guideline at 3 mg/m3 (about 0.9 PPM toluene equivalent) for the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) is suggested for the nonindustrial indoor climates.     

室外空气污染对儿童呼吸系统健康的影响

目的 探讨空气污染对儿童呼吸系统健康的危害，根据本溪市历年空气质量监测结果，对不同污染区的儿童健康状况进行调查。方法 采取整群抽样方法，在本溪市轻、中、重污染区随机抽取小学和幼儿园各一所，全部幼童为调查对象。结果 本溪市儿童持续咳嗽、咯痰、哮喘、哮喘现患、喘鸣及喘鸣样症状的发生率分别为11．89％，5．44％，1．15％，0．62％，6．98％，5．83％。幼儿呼吸系统各病症发生率均高于学龄儿童的发生率；除幼儿男性持续咳嗽发生率低于女性的发生率外(OR=0．69，95％CI=0．49～0．98)，性别间差异无统计学意义。重、中污染区儿童的发生率高于轻污染区儿童的发生率，其中重污染区儿童喘鸣样症状的发生率高于轻污染区儿童的发生率(OR=1．50，95％CI=1．01～2．25)。沿街居住可使儿童呼吸系统疾病及症状的发生率增高，随着住房与交通干线距离的接近，儿童呼吸系统疾病的发生率也呈现增高趋势。易感因素与室外空气污染的联合作用较强，呼吸系统各种疾病的发生率均以受其他因素影响的易感儿童为高，无其他因素影响的非易感儿童发生率为低。结论 室外空气污染是儿童呼吸系统健康的影响因素。     

Residential outdoor air pollution and lung function in schoolchildren

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution has typically been estimated on the aggregate level, and more individual measures of exposure are needed. We investigated the associations with lung function of residential outdoor air pollution in early life, total lifetime, and days before lung function test. METHODS: In 2001-2002, spirometry was performed in 2307 9- and 10-year-old children who had lived in Oslo, Norway, since birth. Outdoor air pollution exposure for each child was assessed by the EPISODE dispersion model, calculating hourly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microm (PM10) and 2.5 microm (PM2.5). We applied linear regression analysis stratified by sex. RESULTS: Early and lifetime exposures to outdoor air pollution were associated with reduced peak expiratory flow and reduced forced expiratory flow at 25% and 50% of forced vital capacity, especially in girls. One interquartile increase of lifetime exposure to NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 was associated with change in adjusted peak respiratory flow of, respectively, -79 mL/s (95% confidence interval = -128 to -31), -66 mL/s (-110 to -23), and -58 mL/s (-94 to -21). We also found short-term effects of NO2 that became stronger with increasing time lags, but no short-term effects of PM. When we included short- and long-term NO2 exposures simultaneously, only the long-term effect remained. We found no effect on forced volumes. Adjusting for a contextual socioeconomic factor diminished the associations. CONCLUSIONS: Short- and long-term residential exposures to traffic-related pollutants in Oslo were associated with reduced peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory flow at 25% and 50% in 9- to 10-year-old children, especially in girls, with weaker associations after adjusting for a contextual socioeconomic factor.     

The Arnhem lead study: II. Indoor pollution,and indoor/outdoor relationships

As part of an epidemiological study, an extensive investigation was carried out on the pollution of several types of housedust with lead. Samples were taken of ambient air indoors, lead deposition indoors, floordust, and dust deposited on windowsills, etc. In addition, the dustiness of houses was estimated visually. A number of outdoor parameters were determined, which made a detailed indoor/outdoor comparison possible. In general, indoor pollution levels were lower than the corresponding outdoor levels. Statistical analysis showed that in Arnhem, lead is carried into the houses in the form of lead particles that adhere to shoes, clothes, etc. Most of it originates from gardens and possibly streetdirt.     

Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke is a major health concern in the developing world

One-third of the world's population burn organic material such as wood, dung or charcoal (biomass fuel) for cooking, heating and lighting. This form of energy usage is associated with high levels of indoor air pollution and an increase in the incidence of respiratory infections, including pneumonia, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birthweight, cataracts, cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality both in adults and children. The mechanisms behind these associations are not fully understood. This review summarises the available information on biomass fuel use and health, highlighting the current gaps in knowledge.     

Associations between outdoor air pollution and hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia

The authors investigated the effects of ambient air pollution on hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia. The authors used the Air Pollution on Health: European Approach protocol to examine the effects of particles, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide on daily hospital admissions for asthma and respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive disorders (control diagnosis) that occurred during the period 1987-1994. Ozone was consistently associated with admissions for asthma and respiratory disease-with little evidence of a threshold. In two-pollutant models, the ozone effect was relatively unaffected by the control for high levels of other pollutants. Particulate pollution (measured by nephelometry) was associated positively with admissions for respiratory disease and admissions for asthma in summer, whereas a negative association was observed for cardiovascular admissions. Although sulfur dioxide was associated significantly with admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular disese, a significant association was also found for the control diagnosis of digestive disorders. No significant associations were found for nitrogen dioxide over the study period, although significantly positive seasonal interactions were found for asthma and respiratory disease in autumn, winter, and spring. It was concluded that current levels of ambient air pollution in Brisbane make a significant contribution to the variation in daily hospital admissions for asthma and respiratory disease.