Abstract
The increasing prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with variations in indoor environments. In Korea, many inner walls of homes are covered with wallpaper: such walls emit indoor air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde. This randomized, double-blind study investigated the effects of wallpaper on indoor air quality and AD. Thirty-one children (aged three to eight years) with moderate AD were assigned to environmentally-friendly (EF) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wallpaper groups. Indoor air concentrations of VOCs, natural VOCs (NVOCs), formaldehyde, and total suspended bacteria were measured before and two (W2) and eight weeks (W8) after wallpapering. Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) evaluations and blood tests were performed during the same period. The EF wallpaper and PVC wallpaper groups showed similar trends in the changes in total VOCs (TVOC) and formaldehyde content in the indoor air. However, the EF wallpaper group showed more improvement on the SCORAD at W2 and W8 than the PVC wallpaper group. The SCORAD index was positively correlated with several indoor air pollutants. Further, the SCORAD index and NVOC % were negatively correlated. Improved SCORAD index and effects of wallpapering on indoor air quality improvements occurred within a short period of time in both groups. We believe that NVOCs in indoor air after EF wallpapering have a beneficial effect on health.
Highlights
The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases, asthma, in Korea is associated with a higher number of people living in apartment buildings and a higher number of cars since the mid-1980s [1]
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant as calculated by a paired t-test between W0 and W2 in each group, and between W0 and W8 ; a Geo-Mean: Indoor air pollutants were transformed to a logarithmic scale because they followed a log-normal distribution, except natural VOCs (NVOCs)%; b p0 : Comparison between the environmentally friendly (EF)-wallpaper and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-wallpaper group as calculated by Wilcoxon two-sample tests; c HCHO: Formaldehyde, total VOCs (TVOC): Total volatile organic compounds (VOCs); 5VOC: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, styrene, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H) levels; NVOC: Natural VOC; TSB: Total Suspended Bacteria, NVOC % = (NVOC ÷ TVOCs) × 100; colony forming units (CFU): Colony forming unit; d W0 : Before wallpapering; W2 : Two weeks after wallpapering; W8 : Eight weeks after wallpapering
We could not evaluate the relationship between atopic dermatitis (AD) severity and the concentration of TVOCs, the results suggested that a high concentration of TVOCs had adverse effects on children with AD
Summary
The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases, asthma, in Korea is associated with a higher number of people living in apartment buildings and a higher number of cars since the mid-1980s [1]. The indoor environment is of particular interest with regard to its role in the development and aggravation of allergic diseases because young children spend most of their time indoors [3,4]. Formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and aromatic compounds are major indoor environmental pollutants. They are emitted by new furniture and finishing materials such as wallpaper, Int. J. Indoor air pollutants may play a key role in the development and aggravation of allergic diseases [4]. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of wallpapering on indoor air quality and symptoms of AD in children. The correlation between the concentrations of pollutants and symptoms of AD was evaluated
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