Ambient ammonia exposures in an agricultural community and pediatric asthma morbidity
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.

Search our Collections & Repository

For very narrow results

When looking for a specific result

Best used for discovery & interchangable words

Recommended to be used in conjunction with other fields

Dates

to

Document Data
Library
People
Clear All
Clear All

For additional assistance using the Custom Query please check out our Help Page

i

Ambient ammonia exposures in an agricultural community and pediatric asthma morbidity

Filetype[PDF-398.08 KB]


Details Supporting Files You May Also Like

Details:

  • Alternative Title:
    Epidemiology
  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Background

    Large-scale animal feeding operations compromise regional air quality in the rural United States through emission of pollutants such as ammonia gas. Exposure to airborne pollution from animal feeding operations may cause pediatric asthma exacerbations in surrounding communities.

    Objectives

    To describe spatial and temporal patterns in ambient ammonia concentrations in an agricultural region, and to investigate associations between short-term fluctuations in ammonia and subsequent changes in respiratory health in children with asthma.

    Methods

    For 13 months in the Yakima Valley of Washington State, 14 monitors sampled ammonia in outdoor air for 24-hour periods every 6 days. School-age children with asthma (n=51) were followed for two health outcomes: biweekly reports of asthma symptoms and quick relief medication usage, and daily measurements of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). We assessed associations between each outcome and ammonia using generalized estimating equations.

    Results

    24-hour ammonia concentrations varied from 0.2 to 238.1 μg/m3 during the study period and displayed a strong correlation with proximity to animal feeding operations. FEV1% was 3.8% lower (95% CI: 0.2, 7.3) per interquartile increase in one-day lagged ammonia concentration and 3.0% lower (95% CI: 0.5, 5.8) for two-day lagged concentration. We observed no associations between self-reported asthma symptoms or medication usage and estimated ammonia exposure.

    Conclusions

    Ammonia concentrations were elevated in this community and strongly predicted by proximity to animal feeding operations. Ammonia's association with acute lung function decrements in children with asthma in the surrounding community may be causal or, alternatively, ammonia may be a marker for other pollutants from animal feeding operations associated with respiratory effects.

  • Subjects:
  • Source:
    Epidemiology. 26(6):794-801.
  • Pubmed Central ID:
    PMC4587379
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:

You May Also Like

Checkout today's featured content at stacks.cdc.gov