Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/552698
IAQA 18th Annual Meeting & Indoor Environment and Energy Expo (IE3) The views and opinions herein are those of the volunteer authors and may not reflect the views and opinions of IAQA. The information is offered in good faith and believed to be reliable but it is provided without warranty, expressed or implied, as to the merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or any other matter. outcomes. For NO 2 , they found that among children living in homes with NO 2 levels below 20ppb, higher endotoxin levels were associated with worse asthma outcomes/acute care visits. In the presence of higher NO 2 levels on the other hand, higher endotoxin was associated with less use of acute care. The effects of exposure to allergens and air pollutants may begin as early as the intrauterine stage of life (Finkelman, 2014). A study of pregnant rodents exposed to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) showed an increased response to allergen immunizations and increased susceptibility to allergic airway disease in offspring. Similarly, human epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that maternal cigarette smoking and exposure to DEP, alcohol, heavy metals, antibiotics, and dust mites, can increase the child's risk of asthma. The importance of co-exposures is also highlighted in a school study performed by researchers in Germany. Oeder et al (2012) focused on multiple aspects of indoor air quality, including allergens, endotoxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) combustion products, and particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM 10 ). It is estimated that over 60% of children's exposure to PM 10 (smoke, dust, mold, allergens, bacteria, and pollen) stem from school indoor air.Additionally, indoor PM 10 was overall approximately six times higher than outdoor PM 10 , and had less PAH, but higher endotoxin and indoor allergen levels. When examined on an equal weight basis, indoor PM 10 induced more inflammatory and allergic reactions, and accelerated blood coagulation, indicating that the biologic effects of indoor PM 10 are much stronger than for the concomitantly collected outdoor particles. The combination of endotoxin and allergen exposures indoors may be the main contributors to the increased inflammatory effects. Astudy by Perzanowski et al. (2013) investigated early life exposures to cockroach allergen as well as PAH, and found that children who had pre-natal exposure to cockroach allergen combined with high non- volatile PAH levels had a significantly higher risk of being allergic to cockroach by age 7 than those with lower PAH exposure. The co-exposure between the allergen and PAH clearly seemed to increase health risks for these children. Environmental Contaminants Another group of environmental contaminants are endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDC). This is a diverse group of synthetic and naturally occurring chemicals that can enhance or inhibit hormone signaling. Evidence from both human and animal studiessuggests that EDCs can affect many systems and functions, such as reproduction, thyroid signaling, metabolism, and the cardiovascular system, and may therefore have a role in conditions such as cancer, developmental changes and obesity. Common EDCs range from metals, includingmercury, lead, and arsenic, to antimicrobials and plasticizers such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). Antimicrobials are used in variety of products, including hand sanitizers, mouthwash, and preservatives for food, medications and cosmetics.Phthalates and BPA can leach from the products to which they are added into the air and water. Certain antimicrobials, phthalates, and BPA have all been shown to influence immune responses and therefore may have a role in development of allergic disease. An evaluation of results from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that phthalate metabolites in urine were positively associated with allergic symptoms and sensitization in adults, but not in children age 6-17 (Zeldin et al. 2013). A study by Whyatt et al. (2013) found that urinary BPA concentrations in 3, 5, and 7 year old children were associated with asthma at ages 5 – 12. Savage et al. (2012) used data from the 2005-2006 NHANES study and reported that the odds of allergic