Association between Peak Expiratory Flow Rate and Exposure Level to Indoor PM2.5 in Asthmatic Children, Using Data from the Escort Intervention Study

Sungroul Kim, Jungeun Lee, Sujung Park, Guillaume Rudasingwa, Sangwoon Lee, Sol Yu and Dae Hyun Lim
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Sungroul Kim: Department of Environmental Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Jungeun Lee: Department of Environmental Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Sujung Park: Department of Environmental Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Guillaume Rudasingwa: Department of Environmental Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Sangwoon Lee: Department of ICT Environmental Health System, Graduate School, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Sol Yu: Department of Environmental Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
Dae Hyun Lim: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon 22332, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-11

Abstract: Various studies have indicated that particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) could cause adverse health effects on pulmonary functions in susceptible groups, especially asthmatic children. Although the impact of ambient PM2.5 on children’s lower respiratory health has been well-established, information regarding the associations between indoor PM2.5 levels and respiratory symptoms in asthmatic children is relatively limited. This randomized, crossover intervention study was conducted among 26 asthmatic children’s homes located in Incheon metropolitan city, Korea. We aimed to evaluate the effects of indoor PM2.5 on children’s peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), with a daily intervention of air purifiers with filter on, compared with those groups with filter off. Children aged between 6–12 years diagnosed with asthma were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups. During a crossover intervention period of seven weeks, we observed that, in the filter-on group, indoor PM2.5 levels significantly decreased by up to 43%. ( p < 0.001). We also found that the daily or weekly unit (1 μg/m 3 ) increase in indoor PM2.5 levels could significantly decrease PEFR by 0.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.1 to 0.5) or PEFR by 1.2% (95% CI = 0.1 to 2.7) in asthmatic children, respectively. The use of in-home air filtration could be considered as an intervention strategy for indoor air quality control in asthmatic children’s homes.

Keywords: asthma; air purifier; indoor; PM2.5; PEFR; children; sensor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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