Exposure assessment in studies of indoor air pollution

Conference · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Am. J. Epidemiol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6532227

Marbury, M; Samet, J; Harlos, D; Spengler, J

Indoor air pollution has recently been recognized as a prevalent exposure and as a potential cause of disease. Most epidemiologic studies of indoor pollutants have used a questionnaire to assess exposures. For example, type of cooking stove (gas or electric) has been used to represent exposure to nitrogen dioxide. However, use of such descriptive variables may misclassify exposure. In preparation for a larger study, the authors measured nitrogen dioxide concentrations in 142 homes with infants for two two-week periods, and they assessed personal exposures in a sample of 46 infants. It was found that 36% of homes with gas stoves had nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the same range (0-20 ppb) as homes with electric stoves. The authors assumed various cutpoints of measured nitrogen dioxide, and they assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the variable stove type in classifying subjects into high and low nitrogen dioxide strata. Regardless of the choice of cutpoint, the sensitivity exceeded 0.95. Specificity increased from 0.47 to 0.68 as the cutpoint was changed from 50 ppb to 20 ppb. It was found in the study of personal exposures that infant exposure could be estimated by combining data on time activity patterns with nitrogen dioxide measurements in rooms where the infants spent time. In the absence of time activity data, bedroom nitrogen dioxide concentrations are the single best predictor of infant exposure. These results emphasize the need for personal exposure assessment in studies of environmental pollutants.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Tumor Registry, Albuquerque
• OSTI ID: 6532227
• Report Number(s): CONF-860694-
• Journal Information: Am. J. Epidemiol.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Epidemiol.; (United States) Vol. 124:3; ISSN AJEPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AGE GROUPS
AIR POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHILDREN
CHRONIC EXPOSURE
DISEASE INCIDENCE
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INFANTS
INJURIES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION