ABSTRACT
This study undertaken in India was aimed at identifying the effects of the indoor air pollutants SO2, NO2 and total suspended particulate mater (SPM) generated from fuel used for cooking on respiratory allergy in children in Delhi. A total of 3,456 children were examined (59.2% male and 40.8% female). Among these, 31.2% of the children's families were using biomass fuels for cooking and 68.8% were using liquefied petroleum gas. Levels of indoor SO2, NO2 and SPM, measured using a Handy Air Sampler (Low Volume Sampler), were 4.60 +/- 5.66 microg/m3, 30.70 +/- 23.95 microg/m3 and 705 +/- 441.6 microg/m3, respectively. The mean level of indoor SO2 was significantly higher (p = 0.016) for families using biomass fuels (coal, wood, cow dung cakes and kerosene) for cooking as compared to families using LP gas. The mean level of indoor NO2 for families using biomass fuels for cooking was significantly higher in I.T.O. (p = 0.003) and Janakpuri (p = 0.007), while indoor SPM was significantly higher in Ashok Vihar (p = 0.039) and I.T.O. (p = 0.001), when compared to families using LP gas. Diagnoses of asthma, rhinitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) were made in 7.7%, 26.1% and 22.1% of children, respectively. Respiratory allergies in children, which included asthma, rhinitis and URTI, could be associated with both types of fuels (liquefied petroleum gas [LPG] and biomass) used for cooking in the different study areas. This study suggests that biomass fuels increased the concentrations of indoor air pollutants that cause asthma, rhinitis and URTI in children. LP gas smoke was also associated with respiratory allergy.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants/immunology , Air Pollution, Indoor , Asthma/epidemiology , Fossil Fuels/adverse effects , Rhinitis/epidemiology , Adolescent , Air Pollutants/adverse effects , Asthma/immunology , Child , Cooking , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Propane/adverse effects , Propane/immunology , Respiratory System/immunology , Rhinitis/immunologyABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of indoor air pollution on respiratory function of children (aged 7-15 years). The study took place at Ashok Vihar, an urban locality in the northwest part of Delhi during the summer months of June and July 2004. The team did house visits. The questionnaire, administered at the house itself, asked about the history of smoking in the family, type of cooking fuel used, duration of cooking, ventilation and lighting at the cooking place, and other confounders. In total, 441 children (59% male, 41% female) between ages 7 and 15 years were considered for the study, and a detailed profile was collected. Clinical examination with special reference to respiratory system was done. Pulmonary function tests/peak expiratory flow rates of each child were measured. Indoor air pollutant (suspended particulate matter, SO(2), NO(2)) was measured, and the effect of these pollutants on the children's respiratory function was analyzed. The respiratory health profile suggests that children had cough, sputum production, shortness of breath, wheezing, common cold, and throat congestion. Indoor SO(2) , NO(2), and suspended particulate matter levels were high in houses where there was a family history of smoking. SO(2) level was significantly high according to occupancy per room. NO(2) and suspended particulate matter levels were significantly high in houses where children had respiratory problems. It is concluded that indoor air pollution had an association with respiratory function of children.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants/toxicity , Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects , Environmental Exposure/adverse effects , Respiratory Mechanics , Respiratory Tract Diseases/epidemiology , Adolescent , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis , Chi-Square Distribution , Child , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Environmental Monitoring , Epidemiological Monitoring , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Nitrous Oxide/analysis , Nitrous Oxide/toxicity , Particulate Matter/analysis , Particulate Matter/toxicity , Respiratory Function Tests , Respiratory Mechanics/drug effects , Respiratory Tract Diseases/etiology , Risk Factors , Sulfur Dioxide/analysis , Sulfur Dioxide/toxicity , Surveys and Questionnaires , Urban HealthABSTRACT
The authors conducted this prospective study at the Shahdara industrial area of Delhi, India. They examined the effects of indoor and outdoor air pollutant levels on respiratory health in 394 children aged 7 to 15 years. The majority of children had a history of respiratory problems, including cough (62.7%), sputum production (24.4%), shortness of breath (32.0%), wheezing (25.6%), common cold (44.4%), and throat congestion (43.1%). The association of indoor and outdoor air pollutant levels showed that outdoor SO2 and NO2 was significantly higher than indoor SO2 and NO2 levels, whereas the mean indoor level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) was significantly higher than outdoor SPM level. Indoor SPM level also was significantly higher in homes of children with a history of respiratory illness than homes of children having no history of respiratory illness. Results suggest that both indoor and outdoor particulate exposure may be important risk factors in the development of respiratory illness in children.
