Nitrogen dioxide and respiratory illnesses in infants

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm/148.5.1258· OSTI ID:5506012

Samet, J M; Lambert, W E; Skipper, B J; Cushing, A H; Hunt, W C; Young, S A; McLaren, L C; Schwab, M; Spengler, J D ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico Medical Center, Albuquerque (United States)

Nitrogen dioxide is an oxidant gas that contaminates outdoor air and indoor air in homes with unvented gas appliances. A prospective cohort study was carried out to test the hypothesis that residential exposure to NO2 increases incidence and severity of respiratory illnesses during the first 18 months of life. A cohort of 1,205 healthy infants from homes without smokers was enrolled. The daily occurrence of respiratory symptoms and illnesses was reported by the mothers every 2 wk. Illnesses with wheezing or wet cough were classified as lower respiratory tract. Indoor NO2 concentrations were serially measured with passive samplers place in the subjects' bedrooms. In stratified analyses, illness incidence rates did not consistently increase with exposure to NO2 or stove type. In multivariate analyses that adjusted for potential confounding factors, odds ratios were not significantly elevated for current or lagged NO2 exposures, or stove type. Illness duration, a measure of illness severity, was not associated with NO2 exposure. The findings can be extended to homes with gas stoves in regions of the United States where the outdoor air is not heavily polluted by NO2.

• OSTI ID: 5506012
• Journal Information: American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States), Journal Name: American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States) Vol. 148:5; ISSN ARDSBL; ISSN 0003-0805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550900 -- Pathology
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGE GROUPS
AIR POLLUTION
APPLIANCES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHILDREN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASE INCIDENCE
DISEASES
EQUIPMENT
GAS APPLIANCES
HEATING
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INFANTS
NEW MEXICO
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SEASONS
SPACE HEATING
USA