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The effects of PM2.5 and its components from indoor and outdoor sources on cough and wheeze symptoms in asthmatic children

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 24, pages 380–387 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) is associated with asthma exacerbation. In the Children’s Air Pollution Asthma Study, we investigated the longitudinal association of PM2.5 and its components from indoor and outdoor sources with cough and wheeze symptoms in 36 asthmatic children. The sulfur tracer method was used to estimate infiltration factors. Mixed proportional odds models for an ordinal response were used to relate daily cough and wheeze scores to PM2.5 exposures. The odds ratio associated with being above a given symptom score for a SD increase in PM2.5 from indoor sources (PMIS) was 1.24 (95% confidence interval: 0.92–1.68) for cough and 1.63 (1.11–2.39) for wheeze. Ozone was associated with wheeze (1.82, 1.19–2.80), and cough was associated with indoor PM2.5 components from outdoor sources (denoted with subscript “OS”) bromine (BrOS: 1.32, 1.05–1.67), chlorine (ClOS: 1.27, 1.02–1.59) and pyrolyzed organic carbon (OPOS: 1.49, 1.12–1.99). The highest effects were seen in the winter for cough with sulfur (SOS: 2.28, 1.01–5.16) and wheeze with organic carbon fraction 2 (OC2OS: 7.46, 1.19–46.60). Our results indicate that exposure to components originating from outdoor sources of photochemistry, diesel and fuel oil combustion is associated with symptom’s exacerbation, especially in the winter. PM2.5 mass of indoor origin was more strongly associated with wheeze than with cough.

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Abbreviations

PM2.5:

particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm

PMIN:

indoor PM2.5 concentration

PMIS:

indoor PM2.5 from indoor sources

PMOS:

indoor PM2.5 from outdoor sources

PMOUT:

outdoor PM2.5 concentration

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Electric Power Research Institute (EP-P15909/C7932). R Habre was supported by the Harvard School of Public Health Dean’s Scholarship. We thank Tom Gentile, George O’Connor and Lance Wallace, members of the CAPAS study scientific advisory committee, for their guidance in all phases of the study. Stephen Ferguson and Mike Wolfson are also acknowledged for designing the air sampling monitors and conducting laboratory analyses. We also thank all the individuals who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Rima Habre, Brent Coull & Petros Koutrakis

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Rima Habre

  3. Department of Community Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Erin Moshier, James Godbold & Neil Schachter

  4. Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    William Castro, Amit Nath & Neil Schachter

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Avi Grunin

  6. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Annette Rohr

  7. College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Meyer Kattan

  8. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Brent Coull

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Correspondence to Rima Habre.

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Competing interests

AR is employed by the Electric Power Research Institute, which is primarily supported by the electric industry in the United States and abroad. EPRI is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that funds external research at a number of universities and institutes worldwide. All the other authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Habre, R., Moshier, E., Castro, W. et al. The effects of PM2.5 and its components from indoor and outdoor sources on cough and wheeze symptoms in asthmatic children. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 24, 380–387 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2014.21

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