¿Cuál es el efecto en salud de instalar equipos de purificación de aire en establecimientos educacionales para reducir el impacto negativo de la contaminación del aire con compuestos orgánicos volátiles?: síntesis rápida de evidencia / what is the health effect of installing air purification equipment in educational establishments to reduce the negative impact of air pollution with volatile organic compounds?: a rapid evidence synthesis

ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO La contaminación del aire es un importante factor de riesgo y un crucial elemento que contribuye a la carga de enfermedad a nivel global, además de tener una incidencia directa sobre la calidad de vida de la población. Los contaminantes en el aire han sido evaluados como un riesgo, particularmente para niños de edad escolar. En este contexto un asesor del presidente de la República de Chile solicita esta síntesis de evidencia, con el objetivo de conocer si la instalación de purificadores o filtros de aire reduciría el efecto que la contaminación del aire tendría sobre la salud de la población en zonas afectadas por este problema ambiental. METODOLOGÍA Se formuló una estrategia de búsqueda la cual se utilizó en las bases de datos HealthSystemsEvidence, SocialSystemsEvidence, Epistemonikos, PubMed, Campbell Collaboration y la Collaboration for Environmental Evidence con el objetivo de identificar revisiones sistemáticas que abordaran la pregunta formulada. Al no encontrar revisiones que respondieran a la pregunta específica, se buscó estudios primarios en PubMed y EMBASE, los que son presentados en esta síntesis. Se incluyeron todos los tipos de filtros o purificadores de aire, que sean instalados en establecimientos educacionales. No se consideraron equipos destinados a reducir las concentraciones de microorganismos, y estudios que utilizaban únicamente pacientes con asma, alergias u otras condiciones de salud. De igual forma, se excluyeron estudios que midieran la eficiencia de los equipos o que fueran utilizados en otros ambientes distintos a escuelas. RESULTADOS Se utilizan 4 estudios primarios, de los cuales se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: -No se encontró evidencia del efecto de la instalación de purificadores de aire en establecimientos educacionales sobre la salud de la población afectada. -Los equipos utilizados para purificar el aire tienen, en general, una capacidad limitada para reducir la concentración de compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV). Más aún, en algunos de los estudios contemplados, la concentración de COV se incrementó. -Sería relevante monitorear el impacto que estos dispositivos tendrían sobre los niños, considerando que éstos solo estarían expuestos una parte del día al aire purificado por estos equipos.

Adsorption of desflurane by the silica gel filters in breathing circuits: an in vitro study / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: During general anesthesia, a heated breathing circuit (HBC) is used to replace the heat and moisture exchange function of the upper airway. One HBC uses an air dryer filter that employs silica gel (SG) as a desiccant. SG is capable of adsorbing many organic compounds. Therefore, we undertook an in vitro study of the adsorption of desflurane by SG filters. METHODS: An HBC was connected to an anesthesia machine, and a test lung was connected to the circuit. The test lung was mechanically ventilated with 2 or 4 L/min of fresh gas flow, with and without the air dryer filter. Desflurane was administered at a 6 vol% on the vaporizer dial setting. The experiment was repeated 15 times in each group. The end-tidal concentrations were measured during the experiments. The air dryer filter weights were measured before and after the experiments, and the times required to achieve the specific end-tidal desflurane concentrations were determined. RESULTS: Significant differences in the end-tidal concentrations of desflurane were observed between the control and filter groups (P < 0.001). The filter weights increased significantly after the experiments (P < 0.001). The times required to achieve the same end-tidal desflurane concentrations were different with the application of the air dryer filter (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The adsorption of desflurane with the use of an air dryer filter was verified in this in vitro study. Careful attention is needed when using air dryer gel filters during general anesthesia.

Mold Occurring on the Air Cleaner High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters Used in the Houses of Child Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

Fungi are the known sources of irritation associated with atopic diseases (e.g., asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema). To quantitatively estimate their presence in the indoor environment of atopic dermatitis-inflicted child patient's houses (ADCPHs), the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters installed inside the air cleaners of three different ADCPHs were investigated for the presence of mold. The air cleaner HEPA filters obtained from the three different ADCPHs were coded as HEPA-A, -B, and -C, respectively, and tested for the presence of mold. The colony forming units (CFUs) corresponding to the HEPA-A, -B, and -C filters were estimated to be 6.51 x 10(2) +/- 1.50 x 10(2) CFU/cm2, 8.72 x 10(2) +/- 1.69 x 10(2) CFU/cm2, and 9.71 x 10(2) +/- 1.35 x 10(2) CFU/cm2, respectively. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Trichoderma, and other fungal groups were detected in the 2,494 isolates. The distribution of these fungal groups differed among the three filters. Cladosporium was the major fungal group in filters HEPA-A and -C, whereas Penicillium was the major fungal group in the filter HEPA-B. Nine fungal species, including some of the known allergenic species, were identified in these isolates. Cladosporium cladosporioides was the most common mold among all the three filters. This is the first report on the presence of fungi in the air cleaner HEPA filters from ADCPHs in Korea.