Tag: Urban

Posted on

Indicators of airborne fungal concentrations in urban homes: Understanding the conditions that affect indoor fungal exposures.

Indicators of airborne fungal concentrations in urban homes: Understanding the conditions that affect indoor fungal exposures.

Sci Total Environ. 2015 Feb 25;517C:113-124

Authors: Crawford JA, Rosenbaum PF, Anagnost SE, Hunt A, Abraham JL

Abstract
Indoor fungal exposure can compromise respiratory health. Low-income urban areas are of concern because of high asthma and allergy rates and housing disrepair. Understanding the conditions that affect indoor fungal exposures is important for assessing health risks and for developing mitigation strategies. We examined the types and concentrations of airborne fungi inside and outside of homes in low-income areas of Syracuse, NY as well as the effect of snow cover on fungal levels. At 103 homes, air samples for viable fungi were collected, occupants were interviewed and homes were inspected for visible mold, musty odors, water problems and other factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to relate high fungal levels to home conditions. Predominant indoor fungi included Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Alternaria and hyaline unknowns. Basidiomycetes and an uncommon genus Acrodontium were also found frequently due to analysis methods developed for this project. With snow cover, outdoor total fungal levels were depressed and indoor concentrations were three times higher than outdoor on average with a maximum of 29 times higher. Visible mold was related to elevated levels of Penicillium (OR 4.11 95% CI 1.37-14.0) and bacteria (OR 3.79 95% CI 1.41-11.2). Musty, moldy odors were associated with elevated concentrations of total fungi (OR 3.48 95% CI 1.13-11.6) and basidiomycetes. Cockroaches, an indicator of moisture, were associated with elevated levels of Penicillium (OR 3.66 95% CI 1.16-13.1) and Aspergillus (OR 4.36 95% CI 1.60-13.4). Increasing relative humidity was associated with higher concentrations of Penicillium, yeasts and basidiomycetes. Visible mold, musty odors, indoor humidity and cockroaches are modifiable factors that were important determinants of indoor fungal exposures. Indoor air investigators should interpret indoor:outdoor fungal ratios cautiously when snow cover is present.

PMID: 25725196 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

View full post on pubmed: asthma

Posted on

Effect of indoor nitrogen dioxide on lung function in urban environment.

Related Articles

Effect of indoor nitrogen dioxide on lung function in urban environment.

Environ Res. 2015 Feb 12;138C:8-16

Authors: Cibella F, Cuttitta G, Della Maggiore R, Ruggieri S, Panunzi S, De Gaetano A, Bucchieri S, Drago G, Melis MR, La Grutta S, Viegi G

Abstract
BACKGROUND: High levels of indoor NO2 are associated with increased asthma symptoms and decreased expiratory peak flows in children. We investigated the association of exposure to domestic indoor NO2, objectively measured in winter and spring, with respiratory symptoms and lung function in a sample of adolescents from a southern Mediterranean area.
METHODS: From a large school population sample (n=2150) participating in an epidemiological survey in the urban area of the City of Palermo (southern Italy), a sub-sample of 303 adolescents was selected which furnished an enriched sample for cases of current asthma. All subjects were evaluated by a health questionnaire, skin prick tests and spirometry. One-week indoor NO2 monitoring of their homes was performed by diffusive sampling during spring and again during winter.
RESULTS: We found that about 25% of subjects were exposed to indoor NO2 levels higher than the 40µg/m(3) World Health Organization limit, during both spring and winter. Moreover, subjects exposed to the highest indoor NO2 concentrations had increased frequency of current asthma (p=0.005), wheeze episodes in the last 12 months (p<0.001), chronic phlegm (p=0.013), and rhinoconjunctivitis (p=0.008). Finally, subjects with a personal history of wheeze ever had poorer respiratory function (FEF25-75%, p=0.01) when exposed to higher indoor NO2 concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS: Home exposure to high indoor NO2 levels frequently occurs in adolescents living in a southern Mediterranean urban area and is significantly associated with the risks for increased frequency of both respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function.

PMID: 25682253 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

View full post on pubmed: asthma

Posted on

$2.9M NIH Grant Supports Research to Help Urban Teens Manage Asthma – University of Rochester Newsroom

$2.9M NIH Grant Supports Research to Help Urban Teens Manage Asthma
University of Rochester Newsroom
Managing persistent asthma can be a challenge for adults, but it's even more difficult for teenagers learning to take control of their health. Peer pressure, feelings of embarrassment or insecurity, and busy school and activity schedules, are just some …

View full post on asthma – Google News

Posted on

$3.6 Million Grant Funds Asthma Study for Urban Teens – University of Rochester Newsroom


University of Rochester Newsroom

$3.6 Million Grant Funds Asthma Study for Urban Teens
University of Rochester Newsroom
As schoolchildren enter their teenage years, they tend to start making more of their own health care decisions. But that transition can be challenging, and certain behaviors — such as making sure they take their daily asthma medication — can …

View full post on asthma – Google News

Posted on

Effects of early-life exposure to allergens and bacteria on recurrent wheeze and atopy in urban children.

Related Articles

Effects of early-life exposure to allergens and bacteria on recurrent wheeze and atopy in urban children.

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 May 28;

Authors: Lynch SV, Wood RA, Boushey H, Bacharier LB, Bloomberg GR, Kattan M, O’Connor GT, Sandel MT, Calatroni A, Matsui E, Johnson CC, Lynn H, Visness CM, Jaffee KF, Gergen PJ, Gold DR, Wright RJ, Fujimura K, Rauch M, Busse WW, Gern JE

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Wheezing illnesses cause major morbidity in infants and are frequent precursors to asthma.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine environmental factors associated with recurrent wheezing in inner-city environments.
METHODS: The Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma study examined a birth cohort at high risk for asthma (n = 560) in Baltimore, Boston, New York, and St Louis. Environmental assessments included allergen exposure and, in a nested case-control study of 104 children, the bacterial content of house dust collected in the first year of life. Associations were determined among environmental factors, aeroallergen sensitization, and recurrent wheezing at age 3 years.
RESULTS: Cumulative allergen exposure over the first 3 years was associated with allergic sensitization, and sensitization at age 3 years was related to recurrent wheeze. In contrast, first-year exposure to cockroach, mouse, and cat allergens was negatively associated with recurrent wheeze (odds ratio, 0.60, 0.65, and 0.75, respectively; P ? .01). Differences in house dust bacterial content in the first year, especially reduced exposure to specific Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes, was associated with atopy and atopic wheeze. Exposure to high levels of both allergens and this subset of bacteria in the first year of life was most common among children without atopy or wheeze.
CONCLUSIONS: In inner-city environments children with the highest exposure to specific allergens and bacteria during their first year were least likely to have recurrent wheeze and allergic sensitization. These findings suggest that concomitant exposure to high levels of certain allergens and bacteria in early life might be beneficial and suggest new preventive strategies for wheezing and allergic diseases.

PMID: 24908147 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

View full post on pubmed: asthma