Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 158, Number 3, September 1998, 891-895

Respiratory Symptoms in Children and Indoor Exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Gas Stoves

MARIA H. GARRETT, MARTIN A. HOOPER, BEVERLEY M. HOOPER, and MICHAEL J. ABRAMSON

School of Applied Sciences, Monash University, Churchill, Victoria, Australia, and Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash Medical School, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria, Australia

Nitrogen dioxide levels were measured in 80 homes in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia, using passive samplers. Some 148 children between 7 and 14 yr of age were recruited as study participants, 53 of whom had asthma. Health outcomes for the children were studied using a respiratory questionnaire, skin prick tests, and peak flow measurements. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations were low, with an indoor median of 11.6 µg/m³ (6.0 ppb), and a maximum of 246 µg/m³ (128 ppb). Respiratory symptoms were more common in children exposed to a gas stove (odds ratio 2.3 [95% CI 1.0-5.2], adjusted for parental allergy, parental asthma, and sex). Nitrogen dioxide exposure was a marginal risk factor for respiratory symptoms, with a dose-response association present (p = 0.09). Gas stove exposure was a significant risk factor for respiratory symptoms even after adjusting for nitrogen dioxide levels (odds ratio 2.2 [1.0-4.8]), suggesting an additional risk apart from the average nitrogen dioxide exposure associated with gas stove use. Atopic children tended to have a greater risk of respiratory symptoms compared with nonatopic children with exposure to gas stoves or nitrogen dioxide, but the difference was not significant.

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