Abstract
The occurrence of persistent respiratory symptoms in children living in homes heated by woodburning stoves (WBS) was prospectively investigated during the winters of 1982 and 1984. Thirty-one randomly selected children from WBS-heated homes in mid-Michigan (study group) were matched for age, sex, and residence with an internal comparison group of 31 children from homes heated by conventional furnaces (control group). Data was collected by interviewing the children's parents; sample attrition (from migration) was 24% (less than the expected 25% over a 2 yr. study). The occurrence of persistent coughing was significantly greater in the study group in 1982 and 1984 (p<.001) with an overall increase in the frequency of coughing in 1984 for both groups. The occurrence of persistent wheezing was also significantly greater in the study group in 1982 (p<.001) and 1984 (p < .05) although there was a decrease in wheezing in 1984 in both groups. These differences could not be accounted for by socioeconomic factors, medical histories, or use of other reported sources of indoor air pollution (parental smoking, cooking with gas, urea-formaldehyde insulation). Findings suggest that heating with woodburning stoves may be a significant risk factor for persistent coughing and wheezing symptoms in children.
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Honicky, R., Osborne, J. & Klaus, M. 546 PERSISTENT RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND WOODBURNING STOVES. Pediatr Res 19, 201 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-00576
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-00576