Cent Eur J Public Health 1999, 7(2):72-76

Epidemiologic risk analysis of environmentally attributed exposure on airway diseases and allergies in children

Herbarth O.^1,2, Fritz G.J.², Behler J.C.⁵, Rehwagen M.¹, Puliafito J.L.⁴, Richter M.¹, Schlink U.¹, Sernaglia J.⁴, Puliafito E.⁴, Puliafito C.⁴, Schilde M.¹, Wildführ W.³

¹ Dept. of Human Exposure Research and Epidemiology, Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle (UFZ Leipzig-Halle), Leipzig, Germany

² Environmental Hygiene and Epidemiology (Environmental Medicine), Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

³ Dept. of Hygiene, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

⁴ University of Mendoza, Faculty of Engineering, Mendoza, Argentina

⁵ University of Mendoza, Faculty of Medicine, Mendoza, Argentina

The aim of the study was to detect possible environmental factors influencing the health of the less mobile population of preschool children. The relationship between outdoor exposure of the immediate 'micro-environment' where most of a preschool child's time is spent and the increased risk to respiratory ill health and allergies has been investigated in approximately 1000 children, aged 3-9 years. The findings suggest an increased risk of asthma (odds ratio OR = 1.8) and allergies (OR = 1.5) with exposure to traffic-attributable emmissions. Domestic heating-attributed emmissions were found to increase the risk to bronchitis-type illnesses (OR = 1.4).

Published: June 1, 1999  Show citation