Housing and Allergens: A Pooled Analysis of Nine US Studies

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adamkiewicz G ; Breysse P ; Chew GL ; Dearborn D ; Dixon SL ; Jacobs D ; Krieger J ; Sandel M ; Spanier A ; Wilson J
• Description:
  Background: Housing conditions can contribute to allergen exposures that are linked to asthma, but little is known about which of those conditions are most likely to predict high levels of allergens in settled house dust. Methods: We pooled allergen, housing condition, occupant behavior, demographic, and other data from nine asthma studies (n=950 homes in 6 US cities). Dust mite (Der f 1 or Der p 1), cockroach (Bla g 1 or Bla g 2), mouse (Mus m 1), cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1) allergens were measured in settled dust from kitchens or bedrooms, and concentrations were categorized according to previously published asthma symptom thresholds. We calculated odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression to identify those housing conditions and occupant behaviors that were associated with clinically significant allergen levels, after adjusting for numerous confounding variables. Results: The adjusted results show that high cockroach allergen was associated with cracks or holes in walls (OR=2.1), high dust mite allergen was associated with mold odor (OR=2.5), housing built before 1951 (OR=2.1), and single-family home with slab on grade (OR=1.9); and mouse allergen was associated with rodent control or signs of rodents (OR=3.62) and inversely associated with presence of a cat (OR=0.20). Water leaks and below average housekeeping had unadjusted high odds ratios for high cockroach allergen. Conclusion: We have identified a number of housing conditions that are consistently associated with increased allergen dust concentrations. This study indicates that screening for housing-based asthma triggers should include presence of cats, dogs, cockroaches, or rodents; water leaks; mold or mold odor; holes or cracks in walls; and below average housekeeping. Single family houses that have basements or crawl spaces or are built before 1951are also important predictors for increased allergens in housing. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Behavior Dust Environmental Exposure Fungi Household Work Hypersensitivity Insecta Occupational Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Allergens Author Keywords: Asthma Dusts Environmental Exposure Housekeeping Housing IAQ Indoor Air Quality Insects Mold Molds

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• ISSN:
  0013-9351
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Massachusetts ; New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  189-198
• Volume:
  110
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062754
• Citation:
  Environ Res 2010 Feb; 110(2):189-198
• Contact Point Address:
  David Jacobs, National Center for Healthy Housing, 10320 Little Patuxent Pkway, Suite 500, Columbia, MD 21044, USA
• Email:
  djacobs@nchh.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Research
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c702b9199d7b408e0d868e6b08043a0c0d04a065def13507feb75fab1cfd4184ef55d81bee6aff60ea7d356afbe0055e381218cb6be5d5c791db695f0d588d04
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225944/cdc_225944_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 173.60 KB ]